China - Belt and Road: Connecting the World and the Future 2019
By Ghazi Ben Ahmed, November 25, 2019
Need to Rethink Global Governance
Faced with international vicissitudes, we must now embrace the future and reflect from a global perspective，one needs also to take into account the interests of others rather than focusing solely on oneself.
It is the common aspiration of humanity to create a better future. However, sharing or contributing with a My Country First mindset is of no use in solving problems. After all, the precondition for connecting the world and the future is to build bridges between time and space, between oneself and others, and between elites and masses.
China's Belt and Road Initiative gives a new impetus to China's future development, meanwhile proposing a harmonious framework for renewed global governance.
By developing connectivity with the world, China aims to strengthen mutual trust with the related Belt and Road countries, and place the construction of soft power in its program. This would help the public to better understand the Belt and Road Initiative as well as China, thus creating more space for cooperation and inauguration of a more harmonious and optimal future in the sense of Mencius, famous Chinese Confucian thinker.
China Creates a Better Future for the World with the Belt and Road Initiative
Indeed, this initiative constitutes an ambitious framework for the development of countries in Asia, Africa and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, aiming at making the world a better, more harmonious, more inclusive and more peaceful place.
Moreover, by linking Asia, Europe and Africa, the Initiative can gather the strengths of all parties and bring them new hope in a context of disputed and contentious globalization. One evokes thus, “A Community with a Shared Future for Mankind and Exchanges between Civilizations”. Like-minded countries are fighting for freedom and peace and making tomorrow's world a place where future generations can live happily.
Cooperation was the key word of this conference, all along the debates. Only cooperation can help us achieve our goals. We need cooperation rather than confrontation. All parties need to communicate with each other, exchange ideas, work together and share benefits.
China's Offer for a New Era and to Connect the World and the Future
The Belt and Road Initiative, proposed by China in 2013, refers to the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. These are aimed at building commercial and infrastructure networks linking Asia to Europe and Africa, and beyond.
This is the grand design of Chinese President Xi Jinping, his diplomatic priority for six years, named in Chinese Yidai, Yilu (One Belt, One Road / OBOR). It concerns more than 60 countries with a geo-economic vocation, one terrestrial, the other maritime. China wants to mark its commitment to globalization without borders. It hopes, by redrawing land trade routes, that freight convoys will travel by rail directly to London or Duisburg (Germany), Lyon, Madrid, Belgrade, Budapest, Warsaw... but also Tehran, etc. The key words of this initiative are connectivity (Hu Lian Hu Tong) which means connecting the wires.
This Initiative, adapting to the reality of the field and the partners who subscribe to it. There is no customized or a fixed model for everyone. Its primary philosophy is to create new demand for Chinese products by helping countries develop their infrastructure. This Initiative based on the benefits of trade, is a new hope for a re-globalization, a New Era of shared prosperity.
Translated by WEN Yuehan