Chinese Think Tank Commented on the Five Years Construction of “Belt & Road” Initiative: The Key Lies in “People Knowing Each Other”

2019-01-02  社科处英文网站

On 17th Nov., Li Dingxin, director of Office of Strategic Studies, China Center for Contemporary World Studies, International Department, Central Committee of CPC suggested that, under the background of resurging anti-globalization and trade protectionism, Belt & Road had injected strong impetus to the economic development of countries along the route and the world at large. According to incomplete statistics, over the past five years, China's trade in goods with countries and regions along the route had exceeded $5 trillion, and China's outward direct investment had exceeded $70 billion.

On 17th Nov., the 2nd Forum for Belt and Road Research of Lanzhou University was held in Lanzhou, on which experts, from Central Asia, West Asia, Europe and China, specialized in Belt & Road studies jointly exchanged ideas on international hot issues, such as  Belt & Road and global governance, trade war, national security and counter-terrorism along the route, and the situation and opportunities of China-Central Asia-West Asia economic corridor.

Li Dingxin suggested that Belt & Road was a  Chinese solution proposed by China to improve and complete global governance system. During the last 5 years, China had made this initiative a practical action, which served as a significant public product of the world provided by China and countries along the route, and turned this macro-plan into detailed steps, delivering greater benefits to people by starting all over again and further incorporating participating countries enterprises, capital and talents.

Zhang Xiyun, former Chinese ambassador in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Ukraine, suggested that, over the past 5 years, Belt & Road Initiative had been actively responded by more than 150 countries around the world, and made remarkable achievements. However, we should still make great efforts to promote people knowing each other. He said that Belt & Road Initiative was neither a relationship of buy and sell, nor of  I give the order, you do the work. or  I give, you take.. It required the joint participation of countries along the route to promote policy communication. For instance, in the case of the incorporation of Light Action between China and Kazakhstan, China set up China-kazakhstan Cooperative Logistic Zone in Lianyungang, and Kazakhstan improved its railways in order to make sure the connectivity of China-Europe Train, which was an example of win-win cooperation.

Sun Zhuangzhi, director of Russian, East European & Central Asian Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, suggested that, currently, the construction of Belt & Road in Eurasia were facing s series of new problems and new challenges, which required a more mature and more stable multilateral framework. And we should expand cooperation area, set up more effective platforms and mechanisms on the basis of existing multilateral framework, such as Shanghai Cooperation Organization(SCO), BRICS mechanism, and 16+1 framework, and explore a new model of regional cooperation.

He also said that we should take proper measures in implementing regional plans with other major countries, such as enhancing coordination with Russia, starting early warning and risk assessment mechanisms simultaneously, strengthening exchanges on security, law enforcement and police affairs, and valuing cooperation among think tanks.

Han Zhibin, director of Institute of Middle Eastern Studies, Northwest University, introduced that Belt & Road Initiative had delivered benefits to Arab countries in the Middle East and achieved win-win cooperation by citing China-Oman relations as an example. He said that, since the 21th century, especially after the proposal of Belt & Road Initiative, economic exchanges between China and Oman had gone beyond the scope of oil trade to a deeper level and carried out win-win cooperation in infrastructure construction, finance, production capacity and other fields. China has been the largest importer of oil from Oman since 2003, and Oman is now China's fourth largest trading partner in the Middle East.