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Wenyang | High-quality Joint Construction Of The “Belt And Road”: Opening Up New Space For Global Win-win Development (4)

Wenyang | High-quality Joint Construction Of The “Belt And Road”: Opening Up New Space For Global Win-win Development (4)

Wenyang | High-quality Joint Construction Of The “Belt And Road”: Opening Up New Space For Global Win-win Development (4)

(2) Construction Focus 1. Guided by the Eight Actions The eight actions are the core guidelines for promoting high-quality development of the “Belt and Road”, focusing on key areas such as connectivity, open cooperation, and improvement of people’s livelihood, and providing a clear action framework for jointly building the “Belt and Road”. First

(2) Construction focus

1. Guided by eight actions

The eight actions are the core guidelines for promoting high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative. They focus on key areas such as connectivity, open cooperation, and improvement of people's livelihood, and provide a clear action framework for jointly building the Belt and Road Initiative.

First, build a three-dimensional interconnection network along the Belt and Road Initiative. China has accelerated the high-quality development of China-Europe trains, participated in the construction of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Corridor, successfully hosted the China-Europe International Cooperation Forum, and worked with all parties to build a new logistics channel for the Eurasian continent supported by direct railway and highway transportation. Actively promote the integrated development of "Silk Road and Maritime Transport" ports, shipping and trade, and accelerate the construction of the New Land-Sea Corridor and the Air Silk Road.

Second, support the building of an open world economy. China has actively created a "Silk Road e-commerce" cooperation pioneer zone and negotiated free trade agreements and investment protection agreements with more countries. Comprehensively remove restrictions on foreign investment access in the manufacturing sector. Actively follow international high-standard economic and trade rules, further promote high-level opening up of cross-border service trade and investment, expand market access for digital products, and deepen reforms in the fields of state-owned enterprises, digital economy, intellectual property, and government procurement. China will hold the "Global Digital Trade Expo" every year to provide a platform for global digital trade exchanges.

Third, carry out pragmatic cooperation. China coordinates and promotes landmark projects and "small but beautiful" people's livelihood projects. The China Development Bank and the Export-Import Bank of China have set up RMB financing windows, and the Silk Road Fund has invested new funds to support the joint construction of "Belt and Road" projects in a market-oriented and commercial manner. Implement 1,000 small livelihood assistance projects, promote Sino-foreign vocational education cooperation through Luban Workshop, etc., and work with all parties to strengthen the safety of projects and personnel involved in the joint construction of the "Belt and Road".

Fourth, promote green development. China continues to deepen cooperation in green infrastructure, green energy, green transportation and other fields, increases support for the "Belt and Road" international alliance for green development, continues to hold the "Belt and Road" green innovation conference, and builds a photovoltaic industry dialogue and exchange mechanism and a green and low-carbon expert network. Implement the “Belt and Road” green investment principles and conduct 100,000 training sessions for partner countries by 2030.

Fifth, promote technological innovation. China continues to implement the "Belt and Road" science and technology innovation action plan, holds the "Belt and Road" science and technology exchange conference, builds joint laboratories with all parties, and supports young scientists from various countries to come to China for short-term work. China has proposed a global artificial intelligence governance initiative and is willing to strengthen exchanges and dialogue with other countries to jointly promote the healthy, orderly and safe development of global artificial intelligence.

Sixth, support people-to-people exchanges. China actively holds the "Liangzhu Forum" to deepen dialogue among civilizations with countries co-building the "Belt and Road". On the basis of the Silk Road International Theater, Art Festival, Museum, Art Gallery, and Library Alliance, the Silk Road Tourism Cities Alliance was established. Continue to implement the “Silk Road” Chinese Government Scholarship Program and support students from jointly building countries to participate in learning exchanges.

Seventh, build a path of integrity. China, together with its partners, released the "Achievements and Prospects of the Belt and Road Initiative's Integrity Construction", launched the "Belt and Road Initiative's High-level Principles for Integrity Construction", established a "Belt and Road" corporate integrity compliance evaluation system, and cooperated with international organizations to carry out "Belt and Road" integrity research and training.

Eighth, improve the “Belt and Road” international cooperation mechanism. China has strengthened the construction of multilateral cooperation platforms with other countries along the Belt and Road in energy, taxation, finance, green development, disaster reduction, anti-corruption, think tanks, media, culture and other fields. Continue to hold the “Belt and Road” International Cooperation Summit Forum.

2. Take interconnection as the main line

President Xi Jinping pointed out at the opening ceremony of the 3rd Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation that the original intention of proposing the Belt and Road Initiative was "to learn from the ancient Silk Road, take interconnection as the main line, and strengthen policy communication, facility connectivity, unimpeded trade, financial integration, and people-to-people bonds with other countries, so as to inject new momentum into world economic growth, open up new space for global development, and create a new platform for international economic cooperation."

The ancient Silk Road was an important link between ancient Eastern and Western civilizations. From Zhang Qian's mission to the Western Regions on land to Zheng He's voyages to the West, it was essentially an interconnection practice that spanned regions and connected civilizations. The ancient Silk Road not only enabled the cross-regional circulation of silk, porcelain, spices and other commodities, but also promoted the spread of papermaking, compass and other technologies, becoming a classic example of mutual benefit and win-win in human history. Nowadays, the "Belt and Road" takes interconnection as the main line. It is precisely to draw on the core of openness, inclusiveness and mutual benefit of the ancient Silk Road, and to use modern cooperation models to solve the "connectivity bottlenecks" in current global development, such as poor logistics caused by lagging infrastructure in some areas and trade caused by differences in policies among countries. Barriers and cultural barriers caused by insufficient trust in cooperation and other issues will eventually achieve the goal of "strengthening policy communication, facility connectivity, unimpeded trade, financial integration, and people-to-people bonds with other countries", injecting new momentum into world economic growth, opening up new space for global development, and creating a new platform for international economic cooperation.

3. Strengthen “three coordinations”

The "Three Coordination" avoids working alone and focusing on one at the expense of the other. By coordinating cooperation in different dimensions, different types, and different fields, the "Belt and Road" can both solidify the foundation and open up new prospects. It is a further refinement of "interconnection as the main line".

First, we need to coordinate and deepen the "hard connectivity" of infrastructure, the "soft connectivity" of rules and standards, and the "heart-to-heart connectivity" of the people of the country. Focus on the connectivity of things, systems, and people, and the coordinated development of the three to solve the problem of unsmooth and unsustainable connectivity. For example, the China-Laos Railway has built a "hard connection" railway trunk line, connected the railway operation standards of China and Laos through "soft connection", and carried out railway vocational training through "heart connection".

Second, coordinate and promote the construction of major landmark projects and "small but beautiful" people's livelihood projects. Focus on the balance between "promoting large projects" and "benefiting people's livelihood", and solve the problems of focusing on scale but not people's livelihood, and short-term and long-term, so that the results of cooperation are both "top-of-the-line" and "overwhelming".

Third, make overall plans to consolidate cooperation in traditional areas and steadily expand cooperation in emerging areas. Focus on "keeping the basics and opening up new prospects" to solve the problem of insufficient stamina in traditional fields and insufficient connection in emerging fields, so that the "Belt and Road" cooperation has both "basic fundamentals" and "new momentum". Taking the cooperation between China and Southeast Asian countries as an example, the construction of freight stations along the China-Laos railway and the China-Myanmar oil and gas pipeline are the "basic basis" of cooperation between the two parties, ensuring the stable flow of materials and energy. Cooperation in emerging fields such as the construction of 5G base stations along the China-Laos railway and the construction of photovoltaic power stations in Southeast Asian countries has injected "new momentum" into traditional fields. If we abandon traditional areas, we will lose the "stable foundation" for cooperation; if we do not expand into emerging areas, we will miss "new opportunities" for development. The coordinated advancement of the two can not only maintain the "basic foundation" of cooperation, but also seize the "commanding heights" in emerging fields, so that the "Belt and Road" cooperation will always remain dynamic.

4. Focus on promoting the construction of joint construction mechanisms

First, improve the overall planning and management mechanism for jointly building the “Belt and Road” cooperation. From the perspective of actual cooperation scenarios, different countries have differentiated development plans. For example, some countries focus on railway construction, and some countries focus on port development. If they advance independently and lack coordination, problems such as railways reaching the border but not being able to connect, and the lack of supporting transportation networks after the port is completed, may easily occur. It is necessary to promote the docking of development plans of various countries, clarify the direction of cooperation and unify construction standards through joint consultation. Taking the construction of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Corridor as an example, it is precisely the overall planning of route directions and infrastructure connection plans that avoids the dilemma of working independently and ensures the overall connectivity and efficient operation of the transport corridor.

Second, improve the coordination and promotion mechanism of “hard connectivity”, “soft connectivity” and “heart connectivity”. "Hard connectivity" refers to infrastructure construction such as railways and ports, "soft connectivity" focuses on the connectivity of policy rules and technical standards, and "heart connectivity" focuses on civil exchanges and emotional identification. If the three are out of touch, the effectiveness of cooperation will be affected. For example, if the construction of China-Europe freight trains only completes the laying of railway lines, goods may be stranded at the border due to inconsistent customs clearance rules and inconsistent inspection standards in various countries. At the same time, if local people do not understand the actual benefits of China-Europe trains, they may also become resistant. This coordination and promotion mechanism achieves the coordinated efforts of the three through simultaneous planning and simultaneous implementation, which not only allows the results of "hard connectivity" to effectively serve people's livelihood, but also allows the cooperation to gain widespread support from the public.

Third, improve the pragmatic cooperation mechanism of the industrial chain and supply chain. The current global industrial chain is interlocked. Countries play different roles in the chain. If any link is blocked, it may affect the stable operation of the entire chain. It is necessary to promote the "Belt and Road" co-building countries to achieve complementarity and synergy in the industrial and supply chains. For example, Southeast Asian countries are rich in agricultural products and raw materials, and China has processing and manufacturing capabilities. Relying on this mechanism, a cooperation chain of "raw material supply-processing and manufacturing-global sales" can be built. This mechanism can ensure the connection between raw material supply, parts production and finished product assembly. Even in the face of external risks, alternatives can be found through collaborative cooperation to ensure the stability of the industrial chain and supply chain.

Fourth, improve the international exchange and cooperation mechanism in emerging fields. Currently, emerging fields such as the digital economy, green energy, and artificial intelligence are developing rapidly. However, different countries have different technical standards and policy requirements. If there is a lack of coordination mechanism, it is easy to have problems of independent exploration and lack of unified framework. For example, in the field of digital trade, some countries have strict restrictions on cross-border data flows, while other countries have relatively loose standards. If consensus cannot be reached, the development of digital trade will be restricted. It is necessary to build a consultation platform to encourage countries to jointly discuss key issues such as data security, digital payments, and green technology standards, which not only promotes the sharing of technological achievements but also reduces cooperation frictions caused by differences in rules.

Fifth, improve the diversified guarantee mechanism for investment and financing. The construction of the “Belt and Road” initiative, whether it is a major infrastructure project or a small livelihood project, requires sufficient financial support. If you only rely on a single source of funding, you will easily face financial pressure and even affect the project progress. It is necessary to build a diversified investment and financing system of "government funds social capital international financial institutions" by broadening funding channels.

Sixth, improve the internal and external coordination mechanism for risk prevention and control. “Belt and Road” projects are located in different countries and are prone to various risks such as policy changes, natural disasters, and market fluctuations. It is necessary to build a collaborative network of "domestic departments overseas agencies project enterprises" to predict risks in advance and respond in a timely manner.

Seventh, improve overseas interest protection mechanisms. It is necessary to focus on ensuring the safety of overseas projects and personnel of the "Belt and Road Initiative", and provide guarantees for project advancement and personnel's work and life by establishing safety contact points in the countries where the projects are located and establishing collaborative relationships with local governments and police.

Eighth, improve high-level international communication mechanisms. The Belt and Road Initiative has carried out many cooperation practices to benefit the people, such as assisting in the construction of roads and railways, solving rural drinking water problems, etc. However, if the relevant results are not effectively disseminated, cognitive biases may easily occur. It is necessary to tell the story of cooperation well through diversified channels, such as using international media to report the actual results of the project, conveying the concept of cooperation through holding the Liangzhu Forum, the "Belt and Road" International Cooperation Summit Forum, etc., and producing short videos and documentaries to visually present the results of improving people's livelihood, so that people in more countries can understand the mutually beneficial and win-win nature of the "Belt and Road" and reduce unnecessary misunderstandings.

Ninth, improve the cooperation mechanism of the Clean Silk Road. Ensuring that Belt and Road cooperation is promoted in an honest and standardized manner is the key to maintaining the credibility of cooperation. It is necessary to clarify the principle of integrity, establish a corporate integrity and compliance evaluation system to standardize corporate behavior, effectively maintain the good image of the “Belt and Road”, and attract more countries to participate in cooperation.

By improving the above-mentioned mechanisms, high-quality Belt and Road cooperation will have solid institutional support, so that it can advance steadily in a complex international environment and achieve steady and long-term development.

Core Guidelines for Jointly Building the “Belt and Road”_Belt and Road Media Cooperation Forum_High-Quality Development of the Belt and Road

Wenyang Professor of Economics Teaching and Research Department, Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (National School of Administration)

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Editor's note: The joint construction of the "Belt and Road" complies with the requirements of the times in the transformation of the global governance system, outlines a new vision for global development, opens up new space, and stimulates new momentum, becoming a great practice in building a community with a shared future for mankind. Based on the background of promoting high-level opening up and improving the global governance system, this article systematically explains the core connotation and construction focus of the joint construction of the "Belt and Road", sorts out the practical achievements in the five major areas of policy communication, facility connectivity, unimpeded trade, financial integration, and people-to-people connectivity, and conducts an in-depth discussion on how to promote the construction of an open, inclusive, interconnected, and common development world.

"One Belt, One Road" is the abbreviation of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. In September 2013, President Xi Jinping proposed during his visit to Kazakhstan that "jointly build the 'Silk Road Economic Belt', from point to area, from line to area, and gradually form a regional cooperation." In October 2013, President Xi Jinping proposed during his visit to Indonesia that "China is willing to strengthen maritime cooperation with ASEAN countries, make good use of the China-ASEAN Maritime Cooperation Fund established by the Chinese government, develop maritime cooperative partnerships, and jointly build the 21st century 'Maritime Silk Road'." After more than ten years of construction, the joint construction of the “Belt and Road” has entered a new stage of high-quality development.

1. The background and significance of high-quality joint construction of the “Belt and Road”

(1) Background of the times

Currently, the global economic landscape is undergoing profound changes. On the one hand, economic globalization has developed in depth, the economic interdependence of various countries has continued to increase, and the flow of production factors on a global scale has accelerated, creating broad space for international cooperation. But on the other hand, the trend of anti-globalization is on the rise, unilateralism and protectionism are on the rise, and uncertainties such as trade frictions and geopolitical conflicts are increasing. The world economic recovery is weak and growth momentum is insufficient. Global development is facing imbalances, and the gap between the rich and the poor and the North-South gap has further widened. Against this background, the Belt and Road Initiative aims to break down barriers, promote economic cooperation and common development among co-building countries, and promote the rebalancing of the global economy.

With the rise of emerging economies, the balance of international economic power has undergone profound changes. The original global governance system is difficult to adapt to the new pattern. It is insufficiently representative and inclusive and cannot fully reflect the interests and demands of the vast number of developing countries. Global economic governance lags behind and lacks effective coordination mechanisms and action capabilities when responding to global challenges, such as climate change and public health crises. The Belt and Road Initiative upholds the principles of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, promotes the improvement of multilateral governance mechanisms, and provides new ideas and practical paths for the transformation of the global governance system.

At present, a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation are booming. The application of digital, networked and intelligent technologies is accelerating, which is profoundly changing the mode of production and life style. This not only provides opportunities for countries to achieve leapfrog development, but also brings about new problems such as digital divide and technological monopoly. The Belt and Road Initiative encourages co-building countries to strengthen cooperation in the field of scientific and technological innovation, jointly seize the opportunities brought by technological revolution and industrial transformation, narrow the digital divide, and promote industrial transformation and upgrading.

(2) Significance

1. The “Belt and Road Initiative” is a major measure to promote high-level opening up to the outside world.

The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China lists "promoting high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative" as an important part of "promoting high-level opening up".

First, high-quality joint construction of the “Belt and Road” will help promote institutional openness. The main feature of high-level opening up is institutional openness. In 2018, the Central Economic Work Conference proposed for the first time to “promote the transformation from openness based on the flow of commodities and factors to openness based on rules and other institutions.” In 2019, the Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China proposed to “promote institutional openness such as rules, regulations, management, and standards.” In 2022, the report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China proposed to "steadily expand institutional opening up such as rules, regulations, management, and standards." In 2024, the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China proposed that "opening up is a distinctive symbol of Chinese modernization" and "steadily expanding institutional opening up."

What is institutional openness? Institutional opening up refers to adjusting and improving the production relations and superstructure that are not suitable for the open economy through reforms to make them more suitable for the needs of open development. This is specifically reflected in the establishment or improvement of relevant laws, regulations and various rules, regulations, management, standards, etc.

How to promote institutional openness? It is necessary to promote the connection between international and domestic rules. The first is to promote the "domesticization" of international economic and trade rules, benchmark international economic and trade rules, and proactively reform domestic governance policies. The second is to promote the "internationalization" of domestic economic and trade rules and promote relevant systems that have been proven to be superior to international economic and trade rules in practice to go international and be used by all countries through multilateral channels. This process will not only help enhance the international influence and competitiveness of domestic economic and trade rules, but also help promote the improvement and development of the global economic and trade rules system.

Let’s take the proposal and application of railway bills of lading as an example. With the advancement of the “Belt and Road Initiative”, railway transportation has ushered in new development opportunities. In order to make up for the shortcomings of the "railway bill" which has no property rights and is not conducive to the flow of goods and financing, a new type of transport document "railway bill of lading" has been created in railway transportation practice, breaking the pattern of only a sea waybill but no land waybill in the field of international trade, and also changing the financing method of international land trade. In 2017, an enterprise in the Chongqing Pilot Free Trade Zone opened the world’s first documentary letter of credit negotiated against a railway bill of lading. Since then, this institutional innovation has been gradually applied in other regions of the country and in countries co-constructing the “One Belt, One Road” initiative.

Promoting institutional openness through the “Belt and Road Initiative” has multi-dimensional and multi-level characteristics, which are mainly reflected in the following aspects. The first is coordination and docking, achieving coordination and consistency of rules in trade, investment, finance and other fields through policy communication with countries co-building the Belt and Road Initiative. The second is the unification of standards, guided by bilateral and multilateral agreements, to strengthen communication and coordination between China and the countries participating in the "Belt and Road" in the fields of service trade, e-commerce, intellectual property and environmental protection, and to use facility connectivity as a bridge to promote mutual recognition and unification of standards for power, communications and transportation infrastructure. The third is institutional innovation, using the “Belt and Road” as a cooperation platform and based on domestic institutional innovation results to fill the gaps in international economic and trade rules in relevant fields.

Second, high-quality joint construction of the “Belt and Road” will help optimize the layout of regional opening-up. The "Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Further Comprehensively Deepening Reform and Promoting Chinese-style Modernization" adopted by the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China pointed out: "Optimize the layout of regional opening-up. Consolidate the leading position of opening-up in the eastern coastal areas, improve the level of opening-up in the central, western and northeastern regions, and accelerate the formation of a comprehensive opening-up pattern with linkage between land and sea at home and abroad, and mutual assistance between the east and west."

Over the past 40 years of reform and opening up, the eastern coastal areas have been the shining star in China's opening-up pattern. With the proposal of the “Belt and Road Initiative”, the central and western regions, inland and border areas have also moved to the center of the stage. From the perspective of economic growth, the economic growth rate of the central and western regions has been higher than that of the eastern region for many years, and the relative gap in regional development in my country continues to narrow. From the perspective of industrial layout, emerging manufacturing industries, such as semiconductors, communication equipment, electronic components, etc., are moving to the central and western regions. Along with the transfer of these mid-to-high-end industries, many second-tier cities in the central and western regions have begun to rise. The joint construction of the "Belt and Road" not only brings major opportunities for the central and western regions to integrate into the opening-up pattern, but also injects new momentum into my country's optimization of regional opening-up layout. In April 2024, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized at the symposium on promoting the development of the western region in the new era: "We must persist in promoting large-scale development with great opening up, and improve the level of opening up of the western region to the outside world. Vigorously promote the construction of the new land-sea corridor in the west, promote the development and opening up of areas along the route, and deeply integrate into the joint construction of the 'Belt and Road'."

The China-Europe freight train, a landmark project of the “One Belt and One Road” initiative, is an important starting point for optimizing the regional opening-up layout. The railway network of China-Europe trains extends all the way to the west, closely connecting my country's inland cities with the European continent. It is equivalent to opening up an "outlet to the sea" from the land, and promotes the opening up of my country's inland cities to the outside world. Some cities that are not close to the sea or border have gradually developed into new highlands for opening up to the outside world relying on China-Europe freight trains. For example, driven by China-Europe freight trains, the output value of Chongqing's export-oriented industries has achieved an average annual growth of 30%. The China-Europe freight trains provide strong support for Zhengzhou to build an international logistics hub.

"One Belt, One Road" is not only an international cooperation initiative, but also plays a decisive leading role in my country's coordinated regional development, especially the development and opening up of the central and western regions.

Third, high-quality joint construction of the “Belt and Road” will help deepen participation in global industrial cooperation. The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China made clear arrangements for my country to promote high-level opening up to the outside world, specifically emphasizing the need to "deeply participate in global industrial division of labor and cooperation, and maintain a diverse and stable international economic structure and economic and trade relations."

Over the past 40 years of reform and opening up, my country has actively participated in global industrial division of labor and cooperation. Currently, in the face of new changes in the global industrial chain, such as "decoupling and breaking links" in some countries, China is promoting high-level opening up, actively expanding its "circle of friends", and engaging in deeper cooperation with countries around the world. Jointly building the “Belt and Road” is a key measure.

First, jointly building the “Belt and Road” will help maintain diversified and stable economic and trade relations. In the past, China's opening up was mainly aimed at Western developed countries. This opening was unbalanced, and its economic and trade relations were relatively concentrated and single. In November 1984, Comrade Deng Xiaoping pointed out at a symposium of the Central Military Commission that opening up to the outside world includes three aspects, “one is opening to Western developed countries”, “one is opening to the Soviet Union and Eastern European countries” and “the other is opening to developing countries in the Third World”. The “Belt and Road Initiative” contributes to the realization of opening up in these three aspects and the maintenance of the diversity and stability of my country’s economic and trade relations.

Second, the joint construction of the “Belt and Road” will help promote the transformation and upgrading of my country’s industrial chain. In the "Belt and Road" initiative, China helps co-building countries integrate into the international industrial chain and enhance the industrial level and competitiveness of these countries. At the same time, China also gains broader market opportunities and development space, and promotes its own industrial upgrading and innovation capabilities.

Third, jointly building the “Belt and Road” will help improve the global industrial chain. Global industrial chains or global value chains are very important in today's world economy. In this chain, the final value of the product is decomposed into multiple value nodes, each node is created by many companies in different countries. Overseas investment in countries co-constructing the "Belt and Road" will help my country deeply participate in the global industrial division of labor, improve the layout of the industrial chain, and also help achieve mutual benefit, win-win and common development between my country and the co-building countries.

2. “One Belt, One Road” is China’s plan to improve the global governance system

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Joining the Belt and Road Initiative is becoming my country's plan to participate in global open cooperation, improve the global economic governance system, promote global common development and prosperity, and promote the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind."

Driven by economic globalization, the global economic and social landscape has undergone major changes, and the interrelationships and influences among various economic entities have become increasingly stronger. On the one hand, economic globalization has greatly promoted global economic growth; on the other hand, economic globalization is incomplete and unbalanced. The world economy has been in a long-term slump, and the gap between the rich and the poor and the gap between the North and the South has become more prominent. President Xi Jinping pointed out at the opening ceremony of the 2017 World Economic Forum Annual Meeting: "Global economic governance lags behind and is difficult to adapt to new changes in the world economy." "In the past few decades, the balance of international economic power has evolved profoundly, and the global governance system has failed to reflect the new pattern, and is not representative and inclusive enough." The global governance system needs to take more into account the interests of developing countries, and while retaining the positive results of economic globalization, it must also address its negative impacts. “One Belt, One Road” is China’s plan to improve the global governance system.

First, the Belt and Road Initiative promotes a more fair and reasonable global governance system. China proposes the "One Belt, One Road" initiative with the hope of achieving common development and common prosperity for all countries along the route. It upholds the spiritual concept of building a community with a shared future and emphasizes the approach of equality and mutual benefit through consultation, construction and sharing. "Consultation" means brainstorming, taking into account the interests and concerns of all parties, and embodying the wisdom and creativity of all parties. Regardless of whether it is in the stages of preparation and initiative, or in the stages of promotion and harvest, it is all handled through consultation by the co-building nation. "Co-construction" means joint participation, giving full play to one's own advantages and potential, and forming new cooperative advantages. "When everyone adds fuel, the flames will rise." Through various forms such as bilateral cooperation, third-party market cooperation, and multilateral cooperation, more countries and enterprises are encouraged to participate in depth and form synergy for development. "Sharing" means adhering to the concept of mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, seeking the convergence of interests of all parties and the greatest common denominator of cooperation, connecting the development needs of all parties, responding to the people's practical demands, realizing the sharing of development opportunities and results by all parties, and leaving no country behind.

Second, the “One Belt and One Road” initiative promotes the improvement of multilateral governance mechanisms. The joint construction of the "Belt and Road" adheres to the principles of mutual respect and equal treatment, adheres to openness, inclusiveness, mutual benefit and win-win, insists on safeguarding international fairness and justice, and insists on safeguarding the development rights and interests of developing countries; resolutely safeguards the authority and status of the United Nations, strives to consolidate and strengthen the status and effectiveness of global multilateral governance platforms such as the World Trade Organization, and in order to improve Existing multilateral governance mechanisms have been injected with strong impetus; the construction of new multilateral governance mechanisms such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank has been actively promoted, enriching and expanding the connotation and practice of multilateralism; the status and role of developing countries and emerging economies in the world market system have been enhanced, and their voice in regional and even global economic governance has been enhanced. The inclusion of the concerns and demands of more developing countries into the global agenda is of great significance to improving global governance.

Third, the “Belt and Road Initiative” promotes innovation and optimization of global governance rules. The joint construction of the "One Belt and One Road" fully takes into account the differences between partners in terms of economic development levels, factor endowments, cultural and religious traditions, etc. It does not preset rules and standards, and does not draw lines based on ideology. Instead, based on the cooperation demands and actual conditions of all parties, through full consultation and in-depth exchanges, we jointly study and create rules for new issues in practice. The co-building countries have achieved strategy docking, planning docking, mechanism docking, project and rule standard docking and mutual recognition, which not only optimizes the cooperation rules of the Belt and Road Initiative and promotes the transformation of openness based on the flow of commodity factors to openness based on rules and institutions, but also forms some rules and standards with strong universality, effectively filling the gaps in the global governance system in these areas.

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