Since its inception, the Belt and Road Initiative has yielded fruitful results in cooperation across the board and become a widely welcomed global public product. Recently, multinational media, experts and scholars have called on all parties to participate more actively in the joint construction of the Belt and Road, seize development opportunities and achieve common prosperity.
“Brings benefits to countries and regions along the route”
The Belt and Road initiative seeks to connect many countries and regions to achieve common development through large-scale infrastructure investment, said Tom Foudy, a British expert on East Asia, in an article published on the website of Russian Television. The Chinese initiative is popular because there are no political conditions attached to relevant investment from China, and China can coordinate the participation of relevant enterprises or financial institutions in advancing the project.
Dr. Dirk van der Kley, the Research Fellow at the Australian National University wrote in an article on the website of the Lowy Institute for International Policy that the Belt and Road projects provide jobs, exports, tax revenue and technology to countries and regions along the Belt and Road. According to the article, McKinsey conducted field surveys at more than 1000 Chinese companies across 8 African countries and found that Chinese companies have achieved localization-89% of employees were African, adding up to nearly 300,000 jobs for African workers. Faced with the lack of skilled labor in the local area, Chinese companies will provide skills training to solve related problems. “In short, China has provided genuine benefits to countries and regions along the route by jointly building the Belt and Road and promoted economic and trade exchanges. China's new development pattern in which the domestic and international dual cycles are the mainstay and the mutual promotion of domestic and international cycles has also been promoted.”
According to an article published on the website of Spanish newspaper Rebelión, relevant countries have effectively improved infrastructure construction, promoted sustainable development, and the exchanges and contacts among different civilizations have also been strengthened by jointly building the Belt and Road. “The achievements of jointly building the belt and road are inspiring.”
The article in the Newsweek called the Belt and Road Initiative “one of China's most successful and influential economic projects.” Maya Majueran and Yasiru Ranaraja, co-founders of Belt and Road Initiative Sri Lanka (BRISL), pointed out in the interview that the Belt and Road Initiative promotes common development and prosperity through win-win cooperation, and promotes mutual understanding and trust and all-round exchanges through peace and friendship.
Jamaica's roads and other infrastructure have been modernized through jointly building the Belt and Road, said in an article in the Jamaica Gleaner. The relevant loans are more favorable to the people. According to reports, Jamaica's north-south highway is 67 kilometers long and over mountains with huge construction difficulty. It took 3 years for Chinese company to complete the construction which realized the high-speed connection between the capital city Kingston in the south and Ocho Rios, the tourist hub in the north.
“Conducive to all parties to work together to deal with more complex global challenges”
More than 40,000 CRExpress Europeblock train ferries have run between China and Europe, with a total cargo value of more than US $200 billion. There have been 73 routes reaching more than 160 cities in 23 European countries which are speeding up for mutual benefit.
A recent article on the website of France's Le Monde Internationale pointed out that the Belt and Road Initiative has been welcomed by countries and regions along the routes for common development through large-scale infrastructure construction.
The website of Duisburg Weekly pointed out that Duisburg is an important transportation node in Germany for the Belt and Road Initiative. Duisburg is connected with China and other Asian countries through CRExpress Europeblock train ferry, which brings great development opportunities for Duisburg and North Rhine-Westphalia where the city is located.
The latest research by the International Union of Railways shows that rail freight volume between Europe and China has increased fivefold in the past five years thanks to the Belt and Road Initiative, and the momentum is continuing, according to an article published on the website of Deutsche Verkehrs-Zeitung(DVZ).
"Belt and Road cooperation has brought the two continents closer together and boosted the economic development and prosperity of both sides." "There is no doubt that the Belt and Road Initiative is of great significance to Austria and the whole of Europe," Andreas Matthä, CEO of Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB), was quoted as saying on the website of German newspaper Transport Weekly.
A review article published on the website of the US "Diplomat Asia Pacific Current Affairs" magazine stated: “China has never carried out so-called 'debt trap diplomacy' through the joint construction of the Belt and Road.”The article noted that countries' active participation in the Belt and Road initiative has boosted connectivity with the rest of the world and stimulated economic vitality. According to a report of Rand Corporation, countries and regions along the Belt and Road have improved transport infrastructure, more prosperous trade and accelerated industrialization. “The benefits of participating in the Belt and Road Initiative are obvious.”
French international relations and European geopolitical scholar Henry Grosuvl pointed out that the development of railway transportation between Europe and China deserves attention. Over the past decade, CRExpress Europeblock train ferry have promoted trade between European countries and China, and are gaining popularity due to their advantages of high cost performance and low carbon emissions. In the face of the epidemic, the CRExpress Europeblock train ferry are bucking the trend. "At a time when multilateralism and international cooperation are under attack, jointly building the Belt and Road will help all parties to jointly tackle more complex global challenges," it added.
“Contribute to the green recovery of the global economy”
Bloomberg News quoted data from a report from the International Institute of Green Finance at the Central University of Finance and Economics in China, saying that in the first half of 2021, energy and transportation accounted for 65% of the total investment in the Belt and Road Initiative. In the energy sector, 37% of the funds are used for natural gas, 30% for oil, and 28% for hydropower. China is working hard to make its investment more environmentally sustainable.
Dr. Benjamin Barton, Assistant Professor in the Department of Politics, History and International Relations (PHIR) at the University of Nottingham's Malaysia Campus, said in an interview that the Belt and Road Initiative will open up a new path for future EU-China security cooperation. “Europe and China share similar interests and concerns on security issues. Europe has rich experience in counter-terrorism. The Belt and Road Initiative opens up more possibilities for bilateral security cooperation.”
China’s economy has withstood the severe test of the epidemic, and China’s outstanding capabilities in telemedicine, e-commerce and fintech have played a key role in the fight against the epidemic, according to an article published by Rai-Radiotelevisione Italiana (RAI). China is the largest pharmaceutical consumer market in the Asia-Pacific region and the second largest in the world. Its continuous investment in infrastructure, medical care and high-tech will promote the development of “Health Silk Road”.
Jennifer Calais, editor-in-chief of the environment and energy column of the French Dialogue website and environmental protection scholar, said that the joint construction of the Belt and Road has received enthusiastic responses from many countries, and many high-quality cooperation projects have been implemented. Nowadays, China attaches great importance to the issue of climate change and actively promotes environmental protection cooperation. “The joint construction of greener investments and projects in the ‘Belt and Road’will contribute to the green recovery of the global economy.”
British scholar Martin Jacques stated in a post that the Belt and Road Initiative is open to promote economic growth and production mode change in developing countries and accelerate the development of emerging economies. To a certain extent, the joint construction of the Belt and Road will promote the reshaping of the global economy, and the Eurasian continent, especially Asia, will play a greater role in the new economic map.
Source：<http://world.people.com.cn/n1/2021/0819/c1002-32199041.html>
Translated by Zhao Shengbo
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