Buwajian Abula

(Vice Dean, School of Economics and Business, Xinjiang Agricultural University)

Author

Buwajian Abula is Vice Dean, Professor, and PhD Supervisor at the School of Economics and Business, Xinjiang Agricultural University. Her research areas include economic and trade cooperation of Shanghai Cooperation Organization, agricultural cooperation between China and Central Asian nations, and Xinjiang's economic and trade ties with neighboring countries. She has led a research project on Agricultural Economic and Trade Cooperation Patterns between China and Five Central Asian Nations Under the Framework of FTA, funded by the National Natural Science Foundation, and another one, Establishment of a Free Trade Zone Under the Framework of Shanghai Cooperation Organization, also funded by the National Social Sciences Foundation. Her book Feasibility Study On the Establishment of a Free Trade Zone of SCO won third prize at the Xinjiang Philosophy and Social Sciences Awards. She has published about 30 papers and is now a member of the CPPCC and a member of the Chinese Society of Foreign Agricultural Economies.

Abstract

Agricultural products were one of the most traded items along the ancient Silk Road. In terms of both agricultural resource endowment and the structure of agricultural imports and exports, countries along the Belt complement each other with the coexistence of intra-industry and inter-industry trade. The Silk Road Economic Belt initiative can serve as a mutually beneficial platform for countries in the region to expand bilateral agricultural trade and intensify their cooperation. However, there are also obstacles for these countries to forge bilateral and multilateral relations in agricultural trade. Now, efforts should be made in strengthening bilateral and multilateral governmental cooperation to set up a cooperative mechanism on quality and safety of agricultural products so as to achieve win-win results.