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China has released a white paper on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), highlighting its role in global development and achievements in building a global community of shared future. The paper was issued ahead of the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF), which analysts believe will debunk Western slandering and unite more consensus on the initiative’s future development blueprint. The BRI has unfolded an unprecedented chapter of global growth, illustrating a path to global connectivity, peace, and prosperity.
As the economic globalization agenda appears to be overshadowed by certain countries’ push for “de-risking” and camp confrontation, Chinese and foreign observers point out that the BRI is growing in importance. The initiative has been spearheading in erection of a new multipolar global order, where the interests of every participant are equally represented, rather than a small Western hegemonic clique predominating. The white paper, titled “Belt and Road Initiative: A Key Pillar of the Global Community of Shared Future,” expounded on the background against which BRI was launched, which it said was in response to a changing global situation and the expectations of the international community.
The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has contributed to a fairer and more equitable global governance system, transforming the world into a community with a shared future. The white paper argues that it is unacceptable for only a few countries to dominate world economic development, control economic rules, and enjoy development fruits.
The BRI has transformed the concept of building a community with a shared future into reality, with more countries understanding China’s belief that development is an inalienable right of all countries, not just a privilege of just a few Western countries. The current world is unfair and disproportionate, with the US and its Western allies often coercing or abusing their power to maintain their hegemonic positions.
Countries, especially those from the Global South, want the future of humanity to be in the hands of all countries, international rules to be written together by all, and development benefits to be shared by all. The white paper’s publication holds special significance in the current toxic geopolitical environment, where Western politicians and media outlets have been sparing efforts to vilify the BRI. Clarifying the origins and development of the BRI, its implementation principles, and how it serves humanity is crucial for a community with a shared future.
China’s Director-General of the Department of International Economic Affairs, Li Kexin, has expressed his willingness to cooperate with all parties in enhancing basic infrastructure in developing countries, based on openness, inclusiveness, equal footing, and mutual benefits. This contrasts with the US and its Western allies’ efforts to counter the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) due to geopolitical considerations.
The upcoming Belt and Road Forum (BRF) will feature representatives from 130 countries and 30 international organizations, with the white paper predicting a new course for BRI development in the next decade. Liang Haiming, dean of Hainan University Belt and Road Research Institute, stated that the future of BRI cooperation will be brighter in the next decade and beyond. As a large and developing country, China will continue to promote the BRI as its top-level design for international cooperation, helping more developing countries accelerate regional integration and embed themselves in the global supply chain.
The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) aims to foster global cooperation between developed and developing countries by expanding third-party market cooperation, particularly with Europe and Western countries. The model has achieved significant milestones, including policy coordination, infrastructure connectivity, unimpeded trade, financial integration, and closer people-to-people ties. From 2013 to 2022, China’s trade with BRI countries reached $19.1 trillion, with an average annual growth rate of 6.4%. China and its partner countries have reached a cumulative two-way investment of $380 billion.
Vice Commerce Minister Guo Tingting highlighted flagship BRI projects like China-Laos Railway, Jakarta-Bundung High-speed Railway, and Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway. These projects are part of a grand overarching transport network being built under BRI, which some foreign observers have hailed as a “game changer” for different continents. The BRI has made great contributions in sharing China’s development model and experience with other participating nations, and the initiative connects the past, present, and future, benefiting the whole of humanity.
