A symposium was opened in Liangjiang recently to discuss modes of development of the new area in terms of the country's Belt and Road Initiatives.

With the decrease of demographic dividends and an increase in factory costs, China is facing the challenge of industrial restructuring to extend its economic growth.

Wei Xiaojun, a professor from Hangzhou Normal University, believes that Liangjiang New Area has taken a lead in the reform and innovation of key fields such as the modern service industry and administrative system.

As the intersection hub of the country's Belt and Road Initiatives and the Yangtze River Economic Belt, Liangjiang hopes to further the construction of its International logistics hub, entrepreneurial center and modern service industry pilot zone during the country's 13th Five-Year-Plan period (2016-2020).

Liangjiang is the biggest comprehensive transportation hub of the Yangtze River waterway, according to Wei. The train line connecting Guoyuan port and Tuanjie village is an example of the seamless connection between the Silk Road Economic Belt and Yangtze River Economic Belt, Wei added.

Edited by Jacob Hooson