BRI inspires concerted efforts for global development

The Belt and Road, after 10 years of operation, has acquired the status of the ancient Silk Road, raised its brand status, and become one of the biggest protagonists and practitioners of economic globalization.

The evolution of this Chinese initiative has taught the international community a number of lessons. Among them, two are inspiring as well as revealing. First, the Belt and Road Initiative has prompted a number of global power contenders to take parallel steps to build on similar ideas while raising new concerns in order to promote high-quality development, environmental sustainability and social progress. And second, the initiative has not only been developing and extending its reach; it has also pioneered a leading cooperation mechanism, making modernization a new driver of globalization.

The Belt and Road Initiative has prompted other economies to launch similar initiatives to advance economic development both regionally and globally. For instance, India and Japan announced the "Asia-Africa Growth Corridor" in 2016, the United States, Australia, Japan, the United Kingdom and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development advanced the "Blue Dot Network" in 2019, the G7 member states launched the "Build Back Better World" initiative in 2021 and the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment in 2022 to mobilize $600 billion for global infrastructure investments by 2027, and the European Union proposed the "Global Gateway" in 2021 to boost smart, clean and secure links in digital, energy and transport sectors and strengthen education, healthcare and research systems across the world.