10 years on, BRI pioneers high-quality cooperation for global prosperity

This aerial photo taken on Dec. 13, 2019, shows a 50 MW solar power farm in Garissa, Kenya. [Xinhua/Xie Han]

"The BRI has opened new paths for all humanity," she said, "and we have seen its significant impacts on emerging economies and developing nations."

Fairer global governance

The BRI's success during the last decade is based on its core principles of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits that promote multilateralism as well as equitable and just global governance.

The initiative has gradually formed a new vision of global development and governance, with development-oriented, open cooperation, multilateral consultation and harmonious coexistence as the underlying principles, said a research report issued by Xinhua.

"The BRI commits itself to a more balanced development approach," said the report entitled "The Belt and Road Development Studies -- A Synergy Approach to Global Development." "It does not engage in geopolitical ploys or ideological wrangling but focuses on development which is the priority of every country."

The BRI has achieved great success and has become an important international public good widely recognized by the world, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the forum.

Putin expressed his confidence in the greater achievements of this great cause. He said that Russia is willing to strengthen communication and collaboration with China within multilateral mechanisms such as BRICS, uphold the international system based on international law, and promote the establishment of a more just and reasonable global governance system.

"What has happened over the last decade then is a profound shift from a unipolar world to a multipolar one," said Martin Albrow, a fellow of the British Academy of Social Sciences. "In this China has been a major contributor, for its influence in the world through building new channels of communication has grown enormously."

According to Albrow's observation, the Belt and Road cooperation extends to nearly 75 percent of the countries in the world. "Let us call it relational power, the ease with which you can communicate with another, initiate contact, find what is in your mutual interests, exchange goods and services, and discover what you have in common."

"We see the outcomes of China's relational philosophy not just for other countries but also for global governance generally," he added.

Sustainable modernization

The great vision of the forum held this week is to jointly modernize the world, said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

"The BRI has created a cooperation platform for common development and helped many developing countries speed up their march toward modernization," said Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.

Engineering vehicles are seen at a construction site of Hungary-Serbia railway project in Delegyhaza, Hungary, Feb. 22, 2023. [Xinhua/Zheng Huansong]

So far, more than 150 countries and over 30 international organizations have signed Belt and Road cooperation agreements, with the initiative extending from the Eurasian continent to Africa and Latin America.

In the eyes of Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the joint construction of the Belt and Road has drawn global participation and become a new model of international cooperation.

The BRI, he said, has become an open and inclusive platform to promote international mutual trust, which is particularly important in the current complex geopolitical situation. Uzbekistan is ready to further deepen green cooperation with Belt and Road partner countries to create a green future for mankind, he added.

Currently, BRI projects have been largely focusing on local environmental protection to achieve a harmonious existence between humans and nature. "It has contributed very important green rail corridors in Kenya, Ethiopia, Laos and most recently in Indonesia," said Erik Solheim, president of the Green Belt and Road Institute and former under-secretary-general of the United Nations.

"The BRI is progressively greener, with a massive focus on solar, wind, hydro and green transport. In the future, it will be the world's number one vehicle for green investments," Solheim said.

Innovation has further empowered the BRI. "Now, we have a digital silk road, an important tool for new partnerships, especially for those countries that are far from China, such as Brazil and other Latin American countries," said Evandro Menezes de Carvalho, head of the Center for Brazil-China Studies at the Getulio Vargas Foundation in Brazil.

Although the Belt and Road has the Asian continent as a focus, the BRI is open and serves a circle of friends, a big circle in which all interested countries can participate, said the Brazilian expert.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic told Xinhua that Serbia is improving its digital agenda, innovation, and artificial intelligence to achieve high-quality development.

"I believe that will continue with the same pace on the same path with the very best results and for the benefit of our people," he said.

During the past 10 years, China supported infrastructure development and connectivity projects across the world, providing an opportunity for countries to improve the trade network and expand the economic potential, said Kin Phea, director-general of the International Relations Institute of Cambodia.

While sharing his expectations for the BRI's prospect, Phea said, "The BRI has become a new engine for global economic growth," and will inject new momentum into building a community with a shared future for mankind.