The "One Belt and One Road" is an Important Mutually Beneficial and Win-win Strategy

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The "One Belt and One Road" is an Important Mutually Beneficial and Win-win Strategy

By Long Kaifeng

The Financial Economy

The "One Belt and One Road" strategic conception carries the dream of development and prosperity of countries concerned, and gives the ancient Silk Road a brand new content of the time.

In September and October 2013, President Xi Jinping proposed building the "New Silk Road Economic Belt"(One Belt) and the "Twenty-first Century Maritime Silk Road" (One Road)strategic conception respectively, emphasizing a mutual-beneficial and win-win "community of interest" and the "community of destiny" for common development and prosperity of relevant countries. At the APEC CEO Summit in 2014, President Xi also announced the Chinese contribution of US$40 billion as the "One Belt and One Road" fund.

The "One Belt and One Road" strategic conception conforms to the trend of the times featuring peace, development, cooperation, and win-win, carries the dream of development and prosperity of countries concerned, and gives the ancient Silk Road a brand new content of the time, and receives sympathy and support from the neighboring countries and the international community. Leaders of various countries, along the "One Belt and One Road", respond positively, all express their readiness to take advantage of the "One Belt and One Road" construction, get a fast and free riding on China’s growth, and achieve collective rise and prosperity.

Structuring a New Opening-up Pattern, and Boosting the Regional Cooperation

Why is the "One Belt and One Road" a win-win strategy? Firstly, the "One Belt and One Road" covers a wide range of geography, huge population, and magnificent economic capacity. According to China Economic Net statistics, along the "One Belt and One Road" are located the most emerging economies and developing countries, totaling 26 countries and regions, covering a total population of about 4.4 billion, with the economic aggregate about US$21 trillion, accounting for 63% of the global population, and 29% of the total global economy. This is a world class market, once completed, will benefit Eurasian people and attain Eurasian lasting peace and prosperity.

Secondly, the current international economic development pattern shows three obvious economic circles, which are the North American economic circle led by the United States, the European economic circle led by the European Union and the Asian economic circle led by China, Japan and South Korea. These three economic circles are three driving forces for the world economic development, and once integrated together, will promote the integration of global market. The Asia-Pacific Free Trade Area building will integrate the North American economic circle and Asian economic circle, and the "One Belt and One Road" is the link and channel for integration with European economic circle and Asian economic circle, and ensures integration with the two economic circles benefiting the Eurasian people.

Thirdly, the "One Belt and One Road" adheres to the "affection, sincerity, benefit, inclusiveness" diplomatic concept, and to the Silk Road open and inclusive spirit put forward by President Xi Jinping, and upholds the foreign policy of "harmonizing neighbors, stabilizing neighbors, and enriching neighbors" implemented by China, which is conducive to development and prosperity of Asia, conducive to security and development of Africa, and conducive to sustainable development of Europe. The "One Belt and One Road" strategic conception is highly recognized and supported by leaders of various countries, have a solid foundation of people’s support, can ensure the Eurasian continents to consolidate the foundation of lasting peace and development, which is precisely the goal of this grand strategy.

How to strengthen the building of the "One Belt and One Road" in order to turn the strategic conception of the "One Belt and One Road" into a reality? I believe that vigorous efforts can be carried out in three aspects, and achieve progress in implementation process.

First, make efforts from the government perspective, pay special attention to the top-level design and planning. The "One Belt and One Road" covers 26 countries and regions, with various different economic and cultural conditions, big geographical differences, and many difficulties in the process of construction, which need concrete analysis on each case, and solution of one by one. For example, do a good job of planning and designing interconnected air routes, highway routes, railway routes, communication line, TV line, power grids, adopt a unified standard for construction so as to facilitate easy maintenance and future expansion, base the cost accounting on actual geographic conditions, such as purchasing raw materials and recruiting staff in the nearest area in order to maximally reduce costs, but can also benefit local people and get local people support. For example again, strengthen the "One Belt and One Road" tourist routes to dock them, so as to ensure more convenient and safer tourism along the "One Belt and One Road", with considerate service and rich specialties. This aspect can learn from the "Singapore-Malaysia-Thailand" tourist routs, the planning is well done so that a large number of domestic tourists to the three countries greatly promote friendly exchanges and mutual understanding between the people of China with people of Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. Schools and universities should include relevant languages course on their curriculum, cultural exchanges, financial cooperation, border security cooperation, and major disasters and emergencies cooperation should be carried out, and there is also the need to strengthen top level designing and planning from the government perspective, to reach an agreement and a regulation legal system, which facilitates the promotion and operation, and pushes forward the "One Belt and One Road" integration process.

Second, make concrete efforts from enterprise perspective, carry out good performance on every project, guarantee every project high-quality, win people’s support, and establish China’s credibility. After comprehensive interconnection of the "One Belt and One Road", exchanges between China’s enterprises and those of various countries along the "One Belt and One Road" are bound to become more and more, and get closer and closer, and there will be more and more integrated interests, of course, also emerge more and more contradictions and disputes. How to handle well the contradictions between businesses and between people’s exchanges need to strengthen communication and coordination between governments of the two countries regarding the legal systems, meanwhile increase laws and customs propagation, ensure enterprises and people of both sides understand the local laws, customs and habits, comply with local laws, customs and habits, avoid conflict and cooperation relationship being affected. Regarding some co-sponsored projects, overall consideration should be given to pre-construction and risk prevention, and preliminary studies should be provided, the quality supervision and maintenance be well arranged, so the project quality be ensured and economic benefits and social benefits be maximized. As products entering each other domestic market, supervision and coordination between governments should be strengthened, while enterprises should practice strict self-discipline, guarantee the quality and service, promote localization measures, establish the brand image for the products and the enterprises so as to promote economic and trade exchanges.

Third, get a start from the folk demand, promote free exchanges between peoples along the "One Belt and One Road", and realize common prosperity and common development. Ancient land, maritime silk roads are first led by governments, then followed by spontaneous trade and human exchanges among people. China’s iron making, paper making, silk and porcelain, the Middle East’s grape, pomegranate, horse, figs, and broad bean, Europe’s glass and sculpture, South Asia and Southeast Asia's priceless treasure, together with music, painting, dance, and religion, carry trade transaction and friendly exchanges among people, promote economic intercommunication and cultural integration between different races, between different nationalities, and between different countries.

The "One Belt and One Road" cooperation initiative inherits the continuous millennium-long economic, cultural, and business friendly exchange traditions of "the Silk Road" and gives them new era epoch meaning, which needs more exchange and promotion at folks level to eliminate estrangement and misunderstanding, and enhance friendship and trust among them. Regarding popular tourism, retail business, culture and art, film and television, education and training, academic exchanges, personnel exchanges, technical cooperation, migration and intermarriage, etc. the Silk Road open and inclusive spirit should be upheld, and vigorously promoted.

Consolidate the "Community of Interests" and "Community of Destiny"

To push forward the "One Belt and One Road" strategy on the basis of equal, mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation, the prospect is promising, but the following difficult points in the construction process cannot be ignored.

First, Central Asia has prominent contradictions; especially the "three forces" have shown a momentum of spreading, which constitute a direct threat to construction of "the Silk Road Economic Belt". Central Asia is home to mixture of cultures, with the Islamic civilization, Christian civilization, Chinese civilization, and Persian civilization, the ancient Silk Road prosperity proves complete correctness of China’s "harmony of civilizations" theory, which is the common cultural basis and historical foundation to strengthen friendship and cooperation between China and the countries along the "One Belt and One Road". And the "clash of Civilizations" worked out by American Huntington, through the Afghanistan war and the Iraq war, proves to be totally irrelevant, endangers the safety and happiness of the people of Central Asia and the Middle East, should be abandoned and criticized

Second, various countries along the "One Belt and One Road" have imbalanced economic development bases, have different expectations and urgent requirements, with distinct specialties and advantages, which requires more communication and coordination, understanding of national programs and different needs, should grasp the converging interests of the equal, mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation with various countries, should master the construction rhythm and order, should systematically advance in the principle of "starting from easy projects to difficult ones, and unfolding one layer after another", should ensure a completed project to be a beneficial one and to win over praise in a larger area, which is conducive to the next project negotiations and construction.

Third, handle well the India-Pakistan Relations, and maintain stability in South Asia. Both India and Pakistan are developing countries, are faced with the problems of development of the country, and improvement of people's livelihood, but there is territorial dispute between India and Pakistan, and territorial dispute between China and India as well. If these contradictions are intensified, which will affect the stability of South Asia, thus affecting construction of the "One Belt and One Road" .

Fourth, handle well the relationship between China and Russia, and deepen mutual trust and cooperation. Russia, as a world power, has advanced military technology and military system, and abundant natural resources, especially energy resources, vast land advantage, and is located between the European economic circle and East Asian economic circle, a tie and bridge between the two economic circles, building the "One Belt and One Road" needs Russian active participation and support. However Russia has always regarded Central Asia as its sphere of influence, combined with Central Asian countries with the CIS and the Eurasian union, and shown certain wariness and doubts on the "One Belt and One Road" conception proposed by China. To construct the "One Belt and One Road" can help promote Central Asia's stability and prosperity, also to expand the space for Russia's economic development and stability, is conducive to the development of Russia, and will constitute huge economic and security dividend for Russia.

Fifth, the Middle East issue requires a high attention. The Middle East is the world's energy base; also a middle region linking Europe, Asia and Africa, the geographical position is critical. China has good cooperative relations with the GCC countries, with Iran, Iraq, etc. in Middle East, but major powers’ intervention in the Middle East is too deep resulting in complex interests relationships, and the rampant terrorist forces together with other potential factors of instability such as the Iran nuclear issue, the Israel-Palestine issue, and religious strife all affecting the security and stability of the Middle East. We should take advantage of being a major country, strengthen communication and coordination with the United States, Russia and Europe, consolidate relations between regional major countries and regional organizations, safeguard the legitimate interests and security in the Middle East countries, coordinate the contradictions and conflicts between countries in the Middle East, support security and stability in the Middle East, and promote the "One Belt and One Road" construction.

Sixth, the South China Sea disputes should not impact the friendship and cooperation between China and ASEAN, and not interfere in the "One Belt and One Road" construction. Since construction of China - ASEAN Free Trade Area in 2010, the bilateral economic and trade relations witness rapid development, and relations develop well, which is a favorable aspect. There is also an unfavorable aspect that the United States and Japan make use of the so-called South China Sea issue to instigate the Philippines and Vietnam to intensify provocations with China, and sow discord between China and ASEAN in attempt to affect the "One Belt and One Road" construction.