The 3rd BRI Forum for International Cooperation will be commenced today in Beijing. 140 countries and 30 organizations are going to participate in it which vividly reflects the BRI’s global importance in term of trans-regional connectivity, infrastructure development, socio-economic growth and last but not least, eradication of poverty and generation of new jobs.
Now the BRI has entered into its 2nd phase which hopefully will be focused on innovations, artificial intelligence technologies, ICT, big data management, quantum technologies, G-5-6, hybrid agriculture, green energies mainly wind, solar, blue/green hydrogen power generation, lithium batteries and last but not least, health services in all the member countries.
President Xi Jinping stressed that the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is innovative by nature and its success needs to be powered by further innovation. Now the Chinese policy makers have already put the BRI on the path of openness, modernization, inclusiveness and qualitative industrialization transforming the economies and communities of more than 153 member countries.
In the last ten year the BRI has further consolidated the foundations of sustainable economic development in all the member countries. It remained positive, productive and participatory in term of making investment, sharing basic information, assisting in implementation and last but not least, sending experts for timely training to cope with disasters in their countries.
Precisely the BRI has been promoting the spirits of international cooperation, economic globalization, industrialization, innovations and last but not least, integrated trans-regional rails, ports and other transport means in all the member countries since 2013.
Belt and Road cooperation has pooled resources of innovation from various parties, banks and financial institutions injecting strong impetus into the development of partner countries and bringing tangible benefits to the people. A road of innovation for the new era is connecting China to the greater world.
This is a road that inspires innovative ideas for befitting mutual cooperation. Rooted in the spirit of harmony, inclusiveness, and cooperation of the ancient Silk Road, the BRI has put forward the innovative principle of extensive consultation and joint contribution for shared benefit, and abandoned the zero-sum mentality featured in the donors-dominated, Western-led model of international cooperation. Moreover, it has been cooperative, coordinative and collaborative in the last decade and has never been exploitative or conquest to any member country through unilaterally imposing any condition.
Thus BRI has created a new vision for international cooperation which has promoted the spirits of just economic system and social stability in the member countries as well as in the world. Just as the British commentator Martin Jacques observed, the BRI is completely novel and, in terms of its global impact, a bold and new project unprecedented in its character and conception. Even many international publications have already dubbed the BRI as the “Biggest Project of the 21st Century”.
This is a road that brings together resources of innovation. In the past decade, Belt and Road cooperation has spurred greater innovation in science and technology. From promoting people-to-people exchanges in science and technology to jointly building laboratories, from enhancing cooperation on science and technology parks to building technology transfer centers, the vision for a community of innovation featuring shared development philosophies, unimpeded flow of production factors, networked technology facilities, connected innovation chains and vibrant people-to-people exchanges is turning into reality. The splendid achievements of the BRI in the last decade are the testimony of “Xi’s Supreme Vision and Reality”.
At the water-conserving irrigation laboratory jointly built by China and Egypt, water can be channeled to the roots of crops through underground seeping pipes with just a tap on the phone. This advanced water-saving irrigation system from China provides an effective solution to the problems of high temperature, drought and water shortage that plague Egypt’s agricultural development.
Belt and Road cooperation is also instrumental in integrating resources of innovation from all parties. China and Portugal are located by the Pacific and the Atlantic respectively, with different climates and geographical conditions, yet greater cooperation on innovation including Joint International Research Laboratory of Marine Biology inaugurated in 2017 and the Belt and Road Joint Laboratory on Space and Sea Technology Advanced Research launched in 2021 not only enables information sharing between the two countries, but also promotes complementarily in scientific research capabilities, thus producing a multiplying effect.
This is a road that delivers the benefits of scientific and technological innovation to the people. Through Belt and Road cooperation, China has not only integrated itself into the global scientific and technological innovation network, but also helped spread the fruits of innovation to more countries and peoples.
China has carried out extensive cooperation with partner countries in smart cities, mobile payment, cross-border e-commerce and other areas of digital economy, and supported them in establishing and improving technology markets. China has set up the Technology Transfer South-South Cooperation Center with the United Nations Development Program, promoted cooperation among higher education institutions and research institutes, and helped partner countries cultivate future innovators.
As co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Bill Gates said, China has an incredible mix of expertise and experience, as well as investment in scientific and technological innovation, and it will be able to make unique contributions to sharing its technologies and its lessons.
Hopefully, China will continue to promote Belt and Road cooperation on innovation, fully tap the potential of innovation, open up broader space for win-win cooperation, and provide more shared treasures for people worldwide to achieve common development and prosperity.
