Experts from the Republic of Korea (ROK) and Japan believe the "New Silk Road", linking China with Europe, can be extended further east to their countries.

The recommendations were made at the 2007 International Symposium on Regional Economic Cooperation along New Silk Road held in Lanzhou, capital of Northwest China's Gansu Province because the route has huge potential for economic growth along the region.

The new Eurasian Continental Bridge has been dubbed the "New Silk Road" in reference to its regional shape, considered very similar to the original 2,100-year-old Silk Road.

The 10,900-km continental bridge links eastern China's ports of Lianyungang and Rizhao with Amsterdam, Holland and Antwerp, Belgium.

Kwaak Yong-hoon, an economic PHD and chairman of KWAAK HwangKyung Group in ROK, said he hoped the road and its tremendous business opportunities could be extended to his country.

He said Park Geun-hye, one of the candidates for his country's presidential election this year, had promised to build a train-ferry link to connect ROK with the Chinese ports of Yantai, Qingdao and Rizhao.

"If she manages to be elected president, then the new Silk Road could be expanded to my country in three or four years," he said.

Mitsuo Honda, a professor of economics at the Japan-based Nihon University, had a more ambitious dream.

He hoped the possible huge industrial belt along the road could extend to Japan and the ROK when it came into being.

Both Japan and the ROK could then benefit from the economic integration of the area spanning from Europe to the two countries, he added.