What will the “Belt and Road” Summit bring us?

Text by Zhao Lei Translation by Tao Wenjia Photos by CFP

China will host the “Belt and Road” International Collaboration Summit. It is my belief that this summit will not only be the new highlight of China's Home Diplomacy, but will also bring new opportunities for promoting fusion and development.

The resulting paper that will be released by the summit will be the international and upgraded version of the “Belt and Road” Initiative planning document. It should be noted that the “Belt and Road” is not China's one-way plan of the world, but its plan to merge into the world. In essence, it is the Chinese plan embodied with eastern wisdom that commits to common development of all countries and regions involved. So its main purpose is to focus on the "unobstructed" and "fusion" aspects to promote common development. In other words, only unobstructed mutual exchange and merging can lead to common prosperity. At the same time the “Belt and Road” is to create a way for economic exchange, which is in line with the Chinese

Philosophy of Dao (way). For more than three years, China and more than 20 countries have signed capacity cooperation framework agreements. Ithas also built 52 economic and trade cooperation zones in 18 countries. the “Belt and Road” Initiative not effectively promotes the industrialisation of developing countries along the “Road”, but also makes it possible for many countries to access to the network of economic globalisation.

Some scholars believe that along the “Belt and Road”, some countries were "collapse zones" of globalisation in the Asian-European continent while other countries along the Maritime Silk Road are the "forgotten corner" of economic globalisation. Compared to roads, goods, capital and such, those intangible systems, standards, and cultural integration results are having more vitality. In the new year, the “Belt and Road” initiative is expected to enhance the standardisation in information exchange, mutual supervision, law enforcement, inspection and quarantine, certifi cation and accreditation, standard measurement and other fi elds. Under the framework of the International Cooperation Summit, it is also expected to strengthen communications of wisdom through the construction of think tanks. It is our hope to achieve real growth along the “Belt and Road” through constructions of academia and theories, as well as the discourse system to collaborate on cuttingedge issues, hot topics, and diffi cult problems. Because in the long run, the key to sustainable development of the “Belt and Road” Initiative is people. It is necessary to form a humanistic pattern of mutual appreciation, mutual understanding and mutual respect among the people from different countries and regions along the road.

Zhao Lei

professor at the Institute for International Strategic Studies of the Party School of the Central Committee of the CPC, a director of the Research Office for International Relations and National Unity. Mr. Zhao heads a key research project on the “Belt and Road”Initiative at CPS, and is the founder of the forum the “Belt and Road 100”.

赵磊

中共中央党校国际战略研究院教授、国际关系与国家统一研究室主任、中央党校“一带一路”重点研究课题主持人，“一带一路百人论坛”发起人。

“一带一路”高峰论坛会给我们带来什么？

2017年5月，中国将举办“一带一路”国际合作高峰论坛。我认为，这不仅是中国主场外交新高峰，也将为深入推进融合发展带来新机遇。

这次高峰论坛发布的成果文件，将成为“一带一路”规划文件的国际版和升级版。需要指出的是，“一带一路”不是中国单向规划世界，而是更加融入世界。就实质而言，是凝聚东方智慧、致力于共同发展的中国方案，其要旨在于通过做好“通”与“融”，促进共同发展。换言之，只有互通、相融，才能共同繁荣。同时，“一带一路”是打造经济互通之“路”，更符合中国哲学之“道”。3年多来，中国和20多个沿线国家签署产能合作协议，在18个沿线国家建设52个经贸合作区。“一带一路”建设不仅有效带动沿线发展中国家的工业化发展，也使许多国家接入经济全球化的大网。

有学者认为，在“一带一路”沿线，过去有的国家，是亚欧大陆间的全球化“塌陷地带”；有的沿海洋航路国家，是经济全球化“被遗忘的角落”。相比于道路、货物、资金，那些无形的制度、标准、文化交融成果更具生命力。新的一年，“一带一路”建设，可望在信息交换、监管互认、执法互助、检验检疫、认证认可、标准计量等领域，加强标准对接。在国际合作高峰论坛框架下，有望通过智库建设，加强智慧对接。通过学术、理论、话语体系等方面的建设，通过合作研究前沿问题、热点议题、棘手难题，实现“一带一路”的智慧成长。……