By Ren Ping
Economic globalization makes the world economy a whole, where countries are interconnected and interdependent. No country can achieve modernization solely relying on itself and in a closed environment. Strengthening connectivity is essential for common development.
Rooted in the historical context of the Silk Road, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) inherits the Silk Road spirit of peace and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning and mutual benefit. Since its inception, the initiative has been characterized by its open and inclusive nature.
In the Indo-China Peninsula, the China-Laos Railway has turned Laos from a landlocked country to a land-linked country, greatly facilitating the traveling of people along the route and effectively stimulating the local economy. In Kazakhstan, China-Kazakhstan cooperation in the reconstruction of the Shymkent oil refinery has resulted in a 90 percent reduction in pollutant emissions and the training of a large number of technical personnel. In Kenya, the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway has contributed to local economic growth by more than 2 percentage points.
Over the past decade, the joint construction of the BRI has effectively promoted connectivity and enabled participating countries and regions to better integrate into the global supply, industrial, and value chains, opening up broader development opportunities.
The BRI has already generated over 3,000 cooperative projects, attracting nearly $1 trillion in investment and creating numerous "national landmarks," "livelihood projects," and "cooperative monuments."
The BRI has established a new model of win-win cooperation. It has become a highly popular global public good, a platform for international cooperation, as well as a "development belt" to the benefit of the world and a "road to happiness" for people of all countries.
Openness is a key driving force behind the progress of human civilizations and an intrinsic path toward global prosperity and development. The world today is confronted with accelerated changes unseen in a century as well as a sluggish economic recovery. Of the problems confronting the world economy, none can be resolved by a single country alone.
Economies make progress through exchange and inter-connectivity and fall behind because of seclusion and closedness. Only by steadfastly developing an open world economy, sharing opportunities and benefits, and working for mutual benefits and win-win outcomes, can the world economy get out of difficulties and achieve inclusive growth and shared prosperity.
By building an open and cooperative platform, the BRI promotes the establishment of a just, fair, and transparent rules system for international economy, trade and investment. It facilitates the orderly flow of production factors, efficient allocation of resources, and deep integration of markets, creating an environment conducive to open development. It upholds and promotes an open world economy, steers economic globalization forward, and achieves mutual benefit, shared prosperity, and sustainable development among different countries.
Opening up is the calling card of contemporary China. Chinese modernization is continuously advancing through expanding opening-up and positive interactions with other countries. The BRI adheres to the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, and advocates true multilateralism where countries address issues that matter to all through consultation. It promotes the strengths and potentials of all parties involved, fully unleashing their advantages.
The achievements of the BRI in the past decade are evident, which demonstrate China's firm determination and practical actions to share its market opportunities with the world and actively promote the construction of an open world economy. The achievements also explain that the BRI is a real chorus comprising all countries along the routes, not a solo for China itself. It is a "sunshine avenue" for China to share opportunities and seek common development with the world.
Adhering to dialogue and consultation, joint construction and sharing, win-win cooperation, and exchanges and mutual learning while expanding common ground and the convergence of interests, this path of openness will become broader and extend to more distant places.
The prosperity of civilization and the progress of humanity cannot be achieved without seeking common ground while reserving differences, openness and inclusiveness, and cultural exchanges and mutual learning.
At present, the joint construction of the BRI has reached a new starting point. By adhering to the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, and promoting connectivity and cooperation, China will commit itself to openness to meet development challenges, foster synergy for cooperation, build the momentum of innovation, and deliver benefits to all.
The high-quality construction of the BRI will open up new space for world economic growth and make new contributions to improving the well-being of people in all countries.