The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a key topic at this year’s Boao Forum for Asia and also the focus of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s keynote speech.
Discussion of BRI occurs against the backdrop of changes unseen in a century and a once-in-a-century pandemic.
Even as last year’s COVID-19 pandemic hit the world, BRI cooperation showed strong resilience and vitality in adversity.
China joined hands with countries to build the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, rejecting a Cold War and zero-sum mentality through practical actions, providing the world with a broad and inclusive linkage development platform and opening up new paths to promote the rebalancing of economic globalization.
President Xi proposed closer partnerships for health cooperation, connectivity, green development and openness and inclusiveness, which brought to the world China’s anti-epidemic, economic and trade initiative achievements, new development philosophy and experience in poverty reduction. The partnerships deepened multi-field cooperation among BRI countries and promoted effective linkage and synergy.
As President Xi said, the BRI is “a public road open to all, not a private path owned by one single party” and BRI cooperation “pursues development, aims at mutual benefits and conveys a message of hope.”
It is imperative to follow the principles of extensive consultation, joint contributions and shared benefits, champion the philosophy of open, green and clean cooperation, and strive to achieve the goals of high-standard, people-centered and sustainable cooperation.
(The author is assistant research fellow at the Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy Studies Center. Source: People’s Daily app)