Belt and Road Forum For a Tighter World of Common Prosperity

As world economic growth remains sluggish and uncertainty persists， perhaps the time has come for countries around the globe to seek mutually beneficial connectivity and cooperation rather than extreme nationalism and protectionism. From May 14 to 15， 2017， about 1，500 delegates from over 130 countries and 70 international organizations， including 29 foreign heads of state or government， gathered in Beijing for the two-day Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation （BRF）， aiming to chart a new course for global cooperation.

Back in 2013， Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the building of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road， a modern version of the ancient trade routes connecting Asia， Europe and Africa. Nearly four years later， the two-day forum turned a new page for this grandiose project that is now popularly known as the Belt and Road Initiative.

From Chinese Proposal to Global Plan

Since its inception， the Belt and Road Initiative has received positive feedback from many countries and regions because it is an open， inclusive plan offering a platform from which countries in Eurasia and beyond can strengthen economic and cultural cooperation to achieve common prosperity.

When meeting journalists at the end of the BRF， President Xi noted that a total of 68 countries and international organizations had signed Belt and Road cooperation agreements with China， some of which happened during the forum. Now an international buzzword， the Belt and Road Initiative has grown from a Chinese proposal into a global plan.

By linking countries and regions that account for about 60 percent of the world’s population and 30 percent of global GDP， the Initiative is a perfect example of China offering its own wisdom and solutions for global governance， opined Wang Yiwei， a professor at the School of International Relations at Renmin University of China.“It features inclusive and sustainable growth and acknowledges the development needs of different countries and regions，”he added.

Many participants of the forum gave enthusiastic approval to the Initiative. Russian President Vladimir Putin said in his speech at the opening ceremony that the Initiative is helping boost economic cooperation and exchange among many countries. Mushahid Hussain Sayed， chairman of the Pakistan Parliamentary Committee on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor （CPEC）， called the Initiative a “new model for global economic cooperation” and “probably the most important diplomatic and development initiative of the 21st Century.”

President Xi pointed out in his keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the fo- rum： “The Belt and Road Initiative is rooted in the ancient Silk Road. It focuses on the Asian， European and African continents， but is also open to all other countries. Every country， whether in Asia， Europe， Africa or the Americas， can be an international cooperation partner within the Belt and Road Initiative. Pursuit of this Initiative is based on extensive mutual consultation， and its benefits will be shared by all.”

From Vision to Reality

The Belt and Road Initiative calls for policy coordination， infrastructure connectivity， unimpeded trade， financial integration and closer people-to-people communication based on the principles of “extensive consultation， joint contribution and shared benefits.”

Already， it has evolved from a blueprint into concrete action. From Mongolia to Malaysia， Thailand to Pakistan and Laos to Uzbekistan， projects under the Belt and Road Initiative， including high-speed railways， bridges， ports， industrial parks， oil pipelines and power grids， are sprouting up， generating real benefits for people in countries along the routes.

For instance， remarkable achievements have been made on the CPEC， a flagship project under the Belt and Road Initiative comprised of highways， rails， pipelines and optical cables linking China’s Kashgar to Pakistan’s Gwadar. After completion of the first phase of its construction plan， the Gwadar port， previously a nondescript fishing harbor， now boasts three multifunctional piers with an annual handling capacity of 50，000 to 70，000 20-foot equivalent units， which have brought 20，000 jobs to locals.

Another example is the China-Kazakhstan Lianyungang Logistics Park on China’s eastern coast that opened in June 2015. It provides Kazakhstan， the largest landlocked country in the world， access to the sea. Now， agricultural products from Kazakhstan can travel to Lianyungang in only six days. From there， they are transported to Southeast Asia， greatly expanding the market for Kazakh products.

A freight route linking China’s eastern coast to London is already operating. Stretching over 12，000 kilometers and passing through nine countries， the railway enables cargo to traverse the Eurasian continent in 18 days. Such moves are making cross-border trade easier and faster.

With support from multilateral financial organizations and mechanisms such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank（AIIB） and the Silk Road Fund， many projects under the Initiative are progressing smoothly， and countries involved have reinforced their financial cooperation.

In addition to multiple infrastructure and economic cooperation projects， many programs aiming to promote cultural exchange have also been implemented under the Belt and Road Initiative， which considerably enhance people-to-people communication among countries along the routes.“I see the Belt and Road Initiative as ‘soft power’ infrastructure—providing younger generations with the knowledge， values and open minds to shape inclusive and peaceful societies， master the language of diversity and navigate across cultures，” noted UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova at the thematic session on people-to-people connectivity during the BRF.

Eyeing a Shared Future

Some analysts have remarked that the BRF heralds the beginning of the Belt and Road Initiative 2.0. No one doubts that consensuses reached at the forum will push implementation of the Initiative to the next level—broader， deeper and higher.

After the close of the Leaders’ Roundtable Summit of the BRF， a joint communiqué was issued， which outlined a path forward and described an action plan to implement the Initiative.

While reaffirming the importance of enhancing connectivity and cooperation， the joint communiqué states： “Our joint endeavors on the Belt and Road Initiative and seeking of complementary traits through other connectivity initiatives provide new opportunities and impetus for international cooperation. These moves help promote globalization that is open， inclusive and beneficial to all.”

Although China proposed the Belt and Road Initiative， it is not just China’s show. Designed to be open to all， it requires joint commitments and efforts from all parties involved to turn blueprints into concrete action and quantifiable outcomes to create a community of shared future for all mankind.

“Through the Initiative， we hope to find new driving forces of growth， create a new platform for global development and re-balance economic globalization，” President Xi declared.