Jiangsu has given rise to a number of modern business companies that can compete and lead their industries in the world market

Journalists visit Suning's exhibition room. [WANG ZHUANGFEI / China Daily]

It is still a Silk Road.

The Belt and Road Initiative launched by President Xi Jinping in 2013 is normally associated with high-tech manufacturing and an economic vision that, in its scope and potential, rivals that of the Marshall Plan that rescued Europe from the ravages of war.

But it is reassuring to know that the precious material that lent its name to the route still plays a role in linking so many countries, both culturally and economically.

When Kate Middleton strode so elegantly under the sweeping arches of Westminster Abbey to marry her prince in 2011, she was wearing silk from Jiangsu province, as was Prince William's mother, Diana, when she married in 1981.

The qualities of that precious fiber — exquisite craftsmanship, strength, durability and flexibility — seem to define the present silk, and indeed increasingly, the Silk Road.

These are the same characteristics that have built the province into one of the largest economies in China. Superbly placed, it has access to high-speed trains, airports and the ocean, and to trade along both the overland road and its maritime version.

With a population of 79.6 million, 1,000 kilometers of coastline and an area of 107,200 sq km, Jiangsu, the most densely populated province in China, is home to a number of companies that have become household names, not just in China, but globally.

Suning, Sanpower and XCMG have built brand recognition on distant shores, far from their places of origin, and in a very real sense are laying the groundwork for the initiative.