Muhammad Zamir Assadi
The 3rd Belt and Road Forum (BRF) 2023 hosted by Chinese president Xi Jinping with the announcement of 8 new principles have laid down the solid foundation for the future course of development under Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) that is entering into the new stages of high quality progress across the globe.
Over the past decade, China following a policy of pursuing the greater good and shared interests under the principles sincerity, real results, friendship and good faith has continuously enhanced full cooperation with other developing countries in an effort to work together to deliver win-win outcomes and common development.
This is precisely the significant path on which to build a new type of international relations and building a community with the shared future for mankind under BRI framework winning the hearts and minds of millions of people in various countries.
China cherishes special feelings for developing countries which is first of all rooted in the identity it attaches to itself. The thought process for launching the BRI by Chinese government under the leadership of President Xi was very significant as China has always regarded itself as one of the developing and a major country since reform and opening up era began and this approach gave a birth in Chinese nation to feel the needs of other developing countries as well.
As a responsible major developing country, China put forward the beautiful vision of a community with a shared future for mankind that reflects China’s approach of sharing its development gains with other developing countries.
The philosophy of pursuing the greater good and shared interests to connect the development of China with the development of the vast number of developing countries and to connect the interests of China with the shared interests of these countries or even the whole world has gained significant global applause.
It embodies the selflessness and righteousness in helping other developing countries, the approach to international justice in order to safeguard world peace and development, and the responsibility and morality in building of a community with a shared future for mankind in the new era.
Now under BRI, international community has witnessed that China has pushed up the unity and cooperation with other developing countries by actively participating in meeting the development needs of these countries based on mutual and meaningful consultation.
Since the launch of BRI, great and historical achievements gaining the attention of global community have been recorded in the Belt and Road connectivity, as evidenced by the fact that a series of first ever local roads and bridges have been built to help unleash the potential of local economic growth in various countries which is highly recognized and gaining the international recognition.
The Belt and Road building connectivity linkages by providing unconditional support to partner countries under BRI frame work in dealing with the financial challenges in terms of technology, education, health, environment, agriculture, industrial development and to many more sectors has enhanced the number of countries joining BRI cooperation.
The growing number of countries joining the BRI extending from the Eurasian continent to Africa and Latin America shows that China has carried forward the Silk Road spirit of cooperation and peace , inclusiveness and openness, mutual benefit and mutual learning by exploring the full potential of this initiative.
The BRI, while aiming to promote the contributions of China’s development and opening up as well as to create a peaceful and stable external environment has benefited the involved countries in terms of development and peace.
At moment, when there are many difficulties to face in global governance, there is no denying that BRI is providing the Chinese approach with full of Chinese wisdom for improving global governance.
Promoting policy coordination, connectivity and infrastructure with the facilitation of unimpeded trade, financial integration and closer people to people ties in an extensive and “quasi global” area has been undoubtedly helping global peace and development.
In building a community with a shared future for mankind which is considered the as the strategic goal and fundamental path of BRI has become an imperative part of multilateral cooperation.
The outcomes of BRI cooperation emerging from partner countries signals that China with other member of countries of this development initiative has worked together in harmony for taping the potential of sustainable growth by enhancing innovative partnerships for the benefits of people at large making contributions to the high-quality development of the BRI and the building of a community with a shared future for humankind.
By facilitating connectivity, BRI has emerged as bonding bridges, laid path to prosperity, thriving ports and happy cities jointly built by China and its partners.
The infrastructure projects have become the roads to poverty reduction, roads to growth and roads to common progress and prosperity.
In this first decade of BRI, when western countries were unwilling or intentionally unable to help developing countries build infrastructure, it was China that defied hardships and tackled the challenges so that some comments went,” In African cities, any large building with more than three floors or any road running for more than three kilometers is quite likely to have been built and designed by Chinese.”
After efforts are made to overcome a series of difficulties and challenges concerning technology, capital and smear, the BRI developments have moved towards the more modern and public interest oriented infrastructure system and model.
Looking forward to the future, the Belt and Road facilitation for connectivity will move towards a more modern and public interest oriented infrastructure system and model and such connectivity will be bringing more profound impacts for the coming generations.
The author is a media fellow of China International Press Communication Centre.