The International Symposium “The Possibilities of Maranhão on the New Chinese Silk Road: Business and Development Opportunities for Brazil” organized by the Sousândrade Foundation in partnership with the Secretariat of Economic Development and Strategic Programs of the Government of Maranhão was closed successfully for the inclusion of Maranhão in the expansion of the Silk Road Initiative of China.

The event counted with the professor of Zhejiang University Paul Lee, one of the authors of the study “Strategic locations for logistics distribution centers along the Belt & Road”, in which the capital of Maranhão was classified as one of the strategic points for the expansion of the New Silk Road of China in 2020.

Maranhão was invited as the first state of Brazil to join the Initiative of “New Silk Road”, a mega project for international cooperation and global investments of China, involving 65 countries, covering almost 62% of the world’s population and 30% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).