Belt & Road initiative offers Vietnam development opportunities
China’s Belt and Road initiative offers Vietnam and China great opportunities of cooperation, providing it with necessary bases for development, a local expert said.
Do Tien Sam, editor- in- chief of the China Research Journal published by the Institute for Chinese Studies under the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, made the remarks in a recent interview with Xinhua.
Proposed by China in 2013, the Belt and Road initiative refers to the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, which aims to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient trade routes of Silk Road.
“Vietnam is advancing toward its industrialization and modernization targets. Hence, the country has great demand for improving infrastructure and boosting trade and production capacity,” Sam said, adding that the most pressing demand can be met by cooperation projects under the Belt and Road initiative.
The two neighboring countries have many similarities, and they can learn from each other and gain practical experience, Sam explained.
“In the near future, emphasis should be given to agricultural cooperation, environmental protection projects and trade balancing efforts,” Sam added.
He hailed the outcomes of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation held in Beijing last month, saying that contents, targets and implementation methods of the initiative were made clearer at the event.
The five cooperation priorities – policy coordination, infrastructure interconnectivity, unimpeded trade, financial integration and people- to- people communications – “are the basis and method to achieve the ultimate goal of common prosperity all over the world,” Sam stated.
People- to- people communications should be laid as a foundation for achieving other cooperation goals, as it helped build mutual understanding and trust between nations, Sam claimed, adding that exchanges of scholars and press connectivity played an important role owing to their influence in society.
Sam expressed the belief that China would make greater contributions to the world economy. “Against the backdrop of rising anti- globalization and trade protectionism, China sharing reform achievements with other countries will surely bolster its international status,” Sam noted. The authors are writers with the Xinhua News Agency. The article first appeared in Xinhua. opinion@ globaltimes. com. cn