By He Yin, The high-profile third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation is expected to be held in Beijing. It will be not only the grandest event to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), but also an important platform for relevant parties to advance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.
Together, participants in the forum will learn from past experiences, draw a blueprint for future cooperation, and lead Belt and Road cooperation toward better development. They will scale new heights, enhance their partnership, and demonstrate their strength in coping with the challenges of the times and building a global community of shared future.
Chinese President Xi Jinping extended a sincere invitation to relevant parties at the 23rd Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. He said, “Ten years ago, I proposed the BRI, and on its tenth anniversary, China will hold the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. I welcome your participation. We should work together to broaden the Belt and Road as a ‘path of happiness’ benefiting the whole world.”
His invitation received a warm response. Russia said the BRI conforms to the development of Eurasia, and the Russian side is looking forward to the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. Vietnam said it firmly supports the major initiatives proposed by Xi and supports China in holding the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. Hungary said it would actively join the forum.
As of the end of September, representatives from over 130 countries and multiple international organizations had confirmed participation in the forum. It fully indicates the international community’s confidence in and expectation for high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.
Over the past decade, the BRI has transformed from an abstract overall outline into a meticulously detailed blueprint, becoming the most welcomed global public good as well as the largest platform for international cooperation.
By July this year, more than three-quarters of all countries in the world and over 30 international organizations have signed Belt and Road cooperation documents with China. The BRI has so far established more than 3,000 cooperation projects and galvanized nearly $1 trillion of investment.
Over the past decade, participating countries have sowed the seed of cooperation and jointly reaped the fruits of cooperation, achieving shared prosperity through mutually beneficial cooperation.
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the Silk Road Fund have provided financing support for hundreds of projects. The China-Laos Railway has converted Laos from a landlocked country to a land-linked one. The Jakarta-Bandung High-speed Railway is the first one in Southeast Asian countries to run at a speed of 350 km/h. The Mombasa–Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway has boosted local economic growth by over two percent.
The fruitful outcomes of the BRI fully prove that the “belt of development” and “road to happiness” for all humanity will deliver more prosperity to more people and constantly enhance the sense of fulfillment and happiness for people of participating countries, as long as it follows the principle of wide consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits, pursues open, green and clean cooperation, aims at high-standard, sustainable and people-centered growth and continues seeking high-quality development.
The third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation will further build consensus and pull efforts from relevant parties, so as to deepen Belt and Road cooperation.
Today, the world has entered a new period of turbulence and transformation. It is undergoing major shifts, division, and regrouping, leading to more uncertain, unstable, and unpredictable developments. The journey of global economic recovery remains long and tortuous. Unilateralism and protectionism are mounting. Particularly, certain countries are pursuing decoupling and severing of supply chains in the name of “de-risking,” posing threats against the security and stability of international industrial and supply chains.
Facing common challenges, relevant parties need to strengthen political mutual trust, connectivity, trade facilitation, financial integration, and people-to-people exchanges, actively launch cooperation in health, green development, digital industry, and innovation, foster new areas of growth, and demonstrate their will and capability to share opportunities, tackle challenges and jointly build a better future.
The third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation will include an opening ceremony, three high-level forums on connectivity, green development, and digital economy, and six thematic forums on trade connectivity, people-to-people communication, think tank exchanges, clean Silk Road, subnational cooperation, and maritime cooperation. A CEO conference will also be held during the event.
Like-minded partners will come together to discuss cooperation plans and outline a development blueprint. Together, they will practice true multilateralism and set new milestones of Belt and Road cooperation. This will inject confidence into addressing the challenges of the times and achieving global sustainable development.
“But either in good times or bad, either on a smooth road or a thorny path, we will uphold the spirit of partnership, keep in mind what brought us together, and march forward without hesitation,” said Xi at the welcoming banquet of the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation.
Looking forward to the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, each participant should have the belief that people of all countries deserve a better future, and Belt and Road cooperation will definitely bring about a better world.
