Belt and Road: Custom-made for Success

Ushurova Sofiya, a Kazakhstani researcher at the Law School of Xi'an Jiaotong University (XJTU), came to China in 2004 and has since settled in Xi'an, committing herself to the study of customs laws of the countries along the Belt and Road. Being the first female doctor of law and the youngest dean of the Faculty of Law at the 27 years old and one of the founders of customs law in Kazakhstan empower her with the knowledge and tools to contribute to the legal development of Chinese enterprises going overseas and foreign enterprises entering China.

In addition, Sofiya is very passionate about Chinese culture and has been actively engaged in Chinese culture promotion events, sharing her personal stories about working and living here and encouraging more people to see China with their own eyes. She was awarded the prize of "Special contribution to the development of cooperation in the field of higher education" by the government of Shaanxi province.

Destiny led her to Xi'an

Sofiya first came to Xi'an from Kazakhstan in 2004 to conduct field research on her PhD thesis, which centers around the customs laws of countries along the Silk Road. And there she met her future husband, Zhang Fan, who is a Xi'an local and has been involved in trade between China and Central Asia since the 1990s. "We've been happily married for almost two decades, it's hard to say that this is not destiny," she said.

"Xi'an is one of the most important birthplaces of Chinese civilisation, the starting point of the ancient Silk Road, and the oldest of China's six ancient capitals," she said. Her eyes light up when she talks about the city and the life she has built in the city with her family. "I have six children, the youngest daughter is named Silu, which sounds exactly the same as the Silk Road in Chinese," she said.

Committed to China-Central Asia trade and communication

With the introduction of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in 2013, trade between China and Central Asian countries have ushered in a new stage of development, and the demand for customs and trade-related lawyers has increased sharply.

To narrow the gap, Sofiya has organized various activities to cultivate those who specialize in the customs laws both in China and Central Asia. Law students from both sides are provided with opportunities to attend the camps held by XJTU to gain first-hand experience of local cultures. "Only by learning Chinese and Chinese culture, can people really understand Chinese people," she said.

Moreover, in 2015, the XJTU initiated University Alliance Silk Road (UASR) together with its partner universities, to advance institutional exchanges and partnerships on the Silk Road routes in regard to education, scientific research, cultural dissemination, and policy studies. To date, more than 207 universities from 51 countries and regions have participated in the alliance.

National confidence bolstered

China's global role as a defender of peace and order and as a promoter and facilitator of economic development is an important manifestation of its growing strength. "First of all, 98.99 million rural poor people have been lifted out of poverty, which is a miracle in the history of human poverty alleviation," Sofiya said, adding that the quality of the nation has also been greatly improved. After her experience of living in China for 20 years, she is confident that China has witnessed comprehensive development in all aspects for the past two decades. "Chinese people are diverse, warm, and hardworking. They value tradition, and respect others," she said.

"China has transitioned from a manufacturing country to a creative country," Sofiya said. "More and more young people are choosing national brands, such as Li-Ning, and Chinese brands are becoming more influential internationally," she said, adding that her children prefer Chinese brands to international brands.

Sofiya believes the Chinese people's cultural confidence has been strengthened with their economic rise. Because the Chinese civilisation has a long history and far-reaching influence, the ancient Silk Road not only facilitated trade between China and Central Asian countries, but also expanded cultural exchanges between the two sides, contributing eastern wisdom to challenges facing all people.

She sees herself as a messenger of friendship between China and Kazakhstan and is proud to play an active role in promoting mutual understanding. She also believes that the future of China-Central Asia cooperation is definitely going from strength to strength.

LEI Yanjun and HAO Liu from XJTU contributed to this article.

Source: Science and Technology Daily