What BRI’s High-Quality Development Tells the International Community

By GU XUEMING

SINCE the Belt and Road Initiative （BRI） was first proposed nearly six years ago， it has been well received globally. So far， 126 countries and 29 international organizations have signed agreements with China for joint construction. Meanwhile， the critics against the BRI among certain media outlets， think tanks， and nongovernmental organizations in some countries have also increased， voicing pessimism and misgivings about it. With debt trap and geopolitical strategy accusations， they exploit sensitive issues among the public in BRI countries concerning sovereignty， energy， and resources to smear the program. As the BRI has brought tangible benefits to the countries involved and their citizens， it becomes clear to increasingly more people worldwide that the BRI creates a path leading to wellbeing instead of a trap of debts， and is an opportunity for common development instead of a geopolitical tool.

Driving Global Economic Growth

Catering to the demand for reforming the global governance system， the BRI adopts a more open and inclusive mode of international economic cooperation， blazes a new trail for improving global governance mechanisms， and gives impetus to global economic growth.

Since the launch of the program， the flow of goods between China and other BRI countries has steadily increased. The opening of China-Europe express freight train service， the growth of e-commerce， and the success of the first China International Import Expo（CIIE） have all further released the potential of trade among BRI countries. During the 2013-2018 period， the amount of trade in goods between China and its BRI partners grew from US $1.04 trillion to US $1.27 trillion， and its share in the total value of Chinas foreign trade climbed from 25 percent to 27.4 percent.

Vietnam and Egypt are two typical examples. The UNs statistics show that from 2013 to 2017， Vietnams commodity exports to China registered an average annual growth of 28 percent， more than doubling its overall yearly export growth （13 percent）. In the case of Egypt， its sales to China increased at an annual rate of 5 percent， bucking the trend of negative growth in its overall exports during the period. As a result， Chinas contribution to the two countriesforeign trade expanded by 6.5 percent and 0.7 percent respectively. During the same period， Vietnams annual GDP growth was 6.5 percent on average， and per capita GDP enjoyed a growth of US $341. In Egypt， the GDP grew at an annual rate of 4 percent， and per capita GDP rose by US $194. All these indicators are well above the levels they were before participating the BRI， pointing to solid improvements in local peoples livelihood.

The BRI provides public goods essential to global economic development. For instance， the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank （AIIB）， the Silk Road Fund， and the Assistance Fund for South-South Cooperation have given relevant countries and regions financial support for development. So far the AIIB has 93 members， and has approved investments of over US $7.5 billion； the Silk Road Fund has signed off 28 projects with the promised investment totaling US$11 billion. In addition， the BRI has attracted the participation of countries and input of more resources into the development of public goods through thirdparty cooperation， increasing the supply of public goods across or between relevant regions.

Meanwhile， China gives proposals and has been sharing its experience on multiple global and regional issues in the course of building the Belt and Road. In the field of UN peacekeeping， China contrib- utes the largest number of peacekeepers among the five permanent members of the UN Security Council， and is the second largest funder of UN peacekeeping missions. In the field of poverty reduction， China launched cooperation with African and East Asian countries， teams up with international organizations on various aid programs through the Assistance Fund for South-South Cooperation， and is working toward the accomplishment of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In the field of humanitarian aid， China is an active participant in missions of the UN， WHO， and other international organizations， and sends disaster relief teams to offer emergency services. Through these efforts， China joins hands with other countries and peoples to build a community with a shared future for mankind. Since 2006， China has cooperated with international organizations on hundreds of aid programs via the Assistance Fund for South-South Cooperation， which have benefitted tens of millions of people.

Promoting Common Prosperity

Development holds the key to solving problems facing various countries. Over the past six years， China has actively cooperated with other countries on infrastructure， energy， resources， and industry to unleash the development potentials of all parties involved， and blazed a trail toward common prosperity.

Infrastructure connectivity is a priority of the BRI. The infrastructure projects undertaken by China have significantly improved the transportation， energy supply capacities， and IT developments in host countries， hence facilitating local development. The Doraleh Multi-Purpose Port， jointly built by China and Djibouti， has a designed annual handling capacity of 7.08 million tons of bulk cargo and 200，000 standard containers， and can accommodate 100，000-ton vessels. It also has remarkably increased the port work efficiency in the region. For instance， the loading/unloading rate for a five-ton grain ship soared from 2，800 tons to 10，000 tons per day. Such improvements have laid the foundation for Djibouti to become a new entrepot in the Gulf of Aden in the future.