Belt and Road In Action
During Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Kazakhstan in September 2013, he first proposed building the Silk Road Economic Belt. In October of the same year, President Xi proposed constructing the 21st-century Maritime Silk Road during a visit to Indonesia. These two proposals are now known together as the Belt and Road Initiative. The Initiative injects Chinese wisdom into efforts aiming at common prosperity and even global development.
Over the past three years, following the principles of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, the Belt and Road Initiative has been welcomed by countries from around the world. Already, more than 100 countries and international organizations have participated within the framework of the Initiative, and more than 40 countries along the routes have signed cooperative agreements with China. Moreover, China has carried out international production capacity cooperation with nearly 30 countries. Financial cooperation projects, represented by the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the Silk Road Fund, continue to expand, and several flagship projects under the Initiative have already been completed.
The Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation will be held in Beijing from May 14 to 15, 2017. This will be the highest-profile international meeting related to the Initiative since China first proposed it in 2013. The forum is expected to produce coopera- tive agreements between China and nearly 20 countries as well as more than 20 international organizations.
To welcome the upcoming Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, we have selected 10 stories about relevant bilateral cooperation that has resulted in the implementation of landmark projects under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative. From policy, infrastructure, trade and financial integration to peopleto-people bonds, each tale vividly
illustrates how new opportunities and roads to prosperity have been created by the Belt and Road Initiative. The focus on building a community of shared interests and future is the soul of the Belt and Road Initiative, and also perfectly embodies the core value of “harmony” at the heart of Chinese civilization itself.