A year after its launch, the China-Central Asia trade facilitation cooperation platform in Nanjing, capital of China's eastern Jiangsu Province, has attracted more than 40 institutions and businesses from Central Asia and China, as well as over 600 cross-border e-commerce firms, according to Nanjing Customs.
The platform was established as a major outcome of the China-Central Asia Summit.
The platform has boosted Jiangsu's trade with Central Asia. Since its launch, the province has recorded nearly 40 billion yuan (about 5.89 billion U.S. dollars) in imports and exports with Central Asian countries.
Automobiles, electrical equipment, and home appliances made up more than 70 percent of exports, while energy, minerals, and high-quality farm and food products lead the import side.
The platform is injecting fresh momentum into the joint building of the Belt and Road Initiative.
Jiangsu logs about 40 bln yuan in trade with Central Asia after cooperation platform launch
The devastating earthquakes that hit Venezuela in late June have dealt a heavy blow to production and jobs across the region, with the hardest-hit areas now facing a recovery effort that is expected to be long and grueling.
Local authorities in La Guaira state, the hardest-hit region of the country, are now ramping up rebuilding efforts while rolling out a series of economic measures to get the regional economy back on track.
At a fishing port in the town of Caraballeda, some 150 fishermen were working before the quakes hit. The area also housed fish product shops and a seafood processing plant that provided jobs for local women. The earthquakes directly affected about 200 families in the area -- bringing casualties, damaged homes, and wrecked workplaces that sustained their livelihoods.
"This disaster is affecting every Venezuelan right now. We can't go out to fish -- there's simply no fuel. Buildings are down, and so many of my fellow fishermen have lost their boats. We're now trying to repair what we can, holding on to whatever little we have left," said Jimmy Rangel, a local fisherman.
Local authorities have stepped in to help fishermen restore their means of production and return to sea as soon as possible.
What's happening at this port is a microcosm of the broader economic crisis unfolding behind Venezuela's recent earthquakes, and the impact of this disaster is likely to linger for a long time.
Across La Guaira state, shopping centers, small businesses, supermarkets, and tourism-related industries have suffered varying degrees of damage and are expected to feel the effects for some time to come.
To protect quake-affected communities and drive economic recovery, the Venezuelan government has announced a package of policy measures covering banking, financial markets, construction, small and micro enterprises, the oil and gas sector, and the pharmaceutical and food industries.
Venezuela faces daunting task of post-quake economic recovery
