Shangguan Jiqing, party chief of Baoji city, Shaanxi province, on May 23 welcomed members of the media. [Photo by Wang Haopeng, provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

"Unlike the Going West campaign and the plan to build the Guanzhong-Tianshui economic belt, building the Silk Road Economic Belt will be an international initiative and will push Baoji, which has been left behind during China's reform and opening-up process, to the frontier," Shangguan Jiqing, party chief of Baoji, said on May 23.

The city of Baoji, now located in western Shaanxi province, was once the second stop along the ancient Sick Road, a trade route that existed more than 2,000 years ago, linking China, central Asia and Europe.

Shangguan said officials will research industrial potential and market demand of the countries along the Silk Road in order to boost the export of products from Baoji. He added that the city's Meixian county had signed sales deals worth $120 million with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan for agricultural produce, textile products and brick-producing machines.