Forum a venue for partners to explore further cooperation

The two-day Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, scheduled to start in Beijing on Sunday, will be an ideal occasion for the participants from around the world to not only contribute their views on how to accelerate win-win cooperation, but also to acquire a better understanding of China’s intentions in promoting the Belt and Road Initiative. Concerns, and even suspicion, have arisen over the intentions behind the initiative since it was proposed in 2013, most of which stem from a misperception and misunderstanding of China’s strategic motivation.

But it is only natural that with the recovery of the global economy still sluggish, international trade flagging, and globalization facing a backlash, China is willing to share its development wisdom and provide public goods to the world now that it is in a position to do so. China’s stepping forward with a vision and means for opening the doors to opportunities for common development should be welcomed, for it comes at a time when combined efforts are needed to achieve interconnected and inclusive growth and shared prosperity.

Since 2013, China has invested more than $50 billion in countries involved in the initiative, and a total of 56 economic and trade cooperation zones have been established, generating nearly $1.1 billion in tax revenue for the host economies and creating 180,000 local jobs. These early harvests should consolidate global confidence in the initiative’s ability to inject vitality into economies and promote shared development and prosperity.

Indeed more and more countries have come to appreciate the Belt and Road Initiative as they recognize that its hallmarks are openness, inclusiveness and mutual benefit.

That representatives from more than 100 countries will attend the forum in Beijing is evidence that the initiative is not an exclusive membership club but rather an open platform dedicated to extensive consultations, joint contributions and shared benefits.

Both developed and developing economies will take part in the forum and play the roles they want to play. Under the initiative, each participating country, big or small, is an equal partner whatever its economic strength.

Although the initiative has been proposed by China, China does not seek to dominate it. Nor is it using it to vie for global leadership. Instead the initiative is an embodiment of China’s viewthat the world is a close-knit community of shared destiny.

By hosting the forum, it is providing a venue for partners to gather so they can explore newways to achieve inclusive growth and shared prosperity, which will reinvigorate the global economy and give a shot in the arm to globalization.