Ru Cui
Over the past ten years, with the joint efforts of all parties, the Belt and Road Initiative has evolved from a Chinese initiative to an international practice; from vision to reality, and has become the most extensive and largest international cooperation platform in the world today.According to a 2019 World Bank policy paper, the BRI is largely beneficial. First, global income increases by 0.7 percent, which translates into almost half a trillion dollars. Second, globally, the BRI could help lift 7.6 million people out of extreme poverty and 32 million out of moderate poverty. Third, the initiative would lead to a modest increase in global carbon dioxide emissions.
Looking to the future, along with controlling and preventing risks, BRI projects will focus more on science and technology, and on industrial transformation, leveraging China’s industrial and supply chain advantages. With its 41 major industrial categories, 207 intermediate categories, and 666 small categories, China is the only country in the world that has all industrial categories in the United Nations Industrial Classification. Moreover, China’s technologies are now world-class in new energy vehicles, high-speed rail, offshore engineering equipment, wind and photovoltaic power, and power transmission and transformation. These provide opportunities to achieve high-level industrial cooperation with BRI countries.Over the past decade, BRI cooperation has delivered real gains to participating countries, and has opened up a new path for all humanity to realize modernization.
The BRI prioritizes connectivity of infrastructure. Basic connectivity over land, maritime, air and cyberspace is in place, laying solid foundations for deeper cooperation in trade and industrial capacity, and strengthening cultural and people-to-people exchanges.
One of the highlights is the construction of economic corridors and international routes, which is making substantial progress. China has signed more than 100 agricultural and fishery cooperation documents with almost 90 partner countries and international organizations, sent more than 2,000 agricultural experts and technicians to over 70 countries and regions, and introduced more than 1,500 agricultural technologies such as hybrid rice to many of these countries.In the process of BRI cooperation, China has helped construct industrial parks with participating countries and provided guidance for Chinese enterprises to create jobs for local residents through high-level industrial cooperation.Chinese firms have launched more than 300 poverty alleviation, health care and rehabilitation, and Happy Home projects in participating countries, delivering notable results in projects that improve people’s lives.Last week The International Symposium on the 10th Anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative Held in Tokyo, organized by China Media Group, Pakistani ambassador to Japan expressed his views on Belt and Road initiative and he said, The Belt and Road Initiative stands on its own, it fulfills a great need, connectivity, in an affordable way, because obviously the world would like to be connected.
China has truly expanded its scope, increased trade, people-to-people contacts, brought about cultural harmony, and promoted understanding. Even the very fact that this is happening in Tokyo shows the general desire of China to be understood.
An important pilot project under the BRI, China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has laid a solid foundation for Pakistan’s infrastructure connectivity and industrialization, and effectively promoted the country’s economic and social sustainable development.
CPEC has brought $25.4 billion in direct investment to Pakistan and has created about 236,000 jobs for the country. It has helped Pakistan generate 8,000 megawatts of electricity and build 886 km of the national core transmission grid, according to the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan.
In Pakistan, when we talk about local journalists, economy experts and other analysts, they clearly expressing their views and understanding that “China not only provided the fund, but also helped build industrial zones so that Pakistan can stand on its own feet,”
I can say that China will continue to promote cooperation in the joint development of the Belt and Road, so as to achieve high-quality development with larger scope, wider field and deeper level.
[Ru Cui is a senior journalist, currently working as Bureau Chief of China Media Group in Pakistan].
