ABSTRACT
China's President Xi Jinping has made the policy of 'The New Silk Road by Land and Sea', which connects China with West, a key part of China's international relations. The tribute system has existed since ancient times, before even unification of China under Qin Dynasty. China has extensive long-term trade and cultural interactions with Central Asia through Xinjiang and with Southeast Asia through the Southern Sea (Nan Hai). Xinjiang and the Southern Sea constitute China's 'doorway' into Central and Southeast Asia, respectively. He repeatedly drew attention to the importance of mutual understanding of culture for peaceful development: China and Europe stand at either end of the New Silk Road. Throughout the Buddhist era silk remained the most frequently traded commodity along the Silk Road. A vast quantity of Buddhist buildings, art and sculpture were produced in Central Asia in pre-Muslim era. The leading Western nations not only colonized the lands around Nan Hai, but also the wider Pacific Ocean territories.
