ofthe19thand20thcenturies,representedbytheformerBritishEmpire,asthefirstrudimentarystepinthepathofglobalization.ThencametheU.S.-ledmultinationalizationprocessfeaturingtransnationalcorporations’businessexpansionglobally,regardedas“Globalization1.0.”Buttoday,withtheworldstandingatacrossroadsrockedbywavesofanti-globalization,evenBritainandtheUnitedStates,thestandardbearersandbeneficiariesofthefirstphasesofglobalization,aregrowingvoicesadvocatingparochialism.
Againstthisbackdrop,China,boththevictimandbeneficiaryofglobalization,haspickedupthebaton.ByproposingtheBeltandRoadInitiative-theSilkRoadEconomicBeltand21st-CenturyMaritimeSilkRoadInitiative-whichisbasedontheprinciplesofpolicycoordinationandinclusivecooperation,Chinahaslaidthefoundationforanewtypeofglobalizationcharacterizedbycommondevelopment.
FouryearsafterPresidentXiJinpingfirstoutlinedtheconcept,thefirsthigh-levelmeetingontheinitiative-theBeltandRoadForumforInternationalCooperation-heldinBeijingonMay14-15showedtheinternationalcommunity’skeeninterestintheinitiative.Thetwo-daymeetingattendedby29foreignheadsofstateandgovernment,chiefsofinternationalorganizationsaswellashigh-levelrepresentativesfromover130countriesalsomarkedtheinitiative’sevolutionfromnotiontoaction,reassuringonlookersthatitisapursuitofconcreteefforts,notemptytalk.
DongManyuan,VicePresidentofChinaInstituteofInternationalStudies(CIIS),assesseditasaroadfornotonlyChina’sdevelopment,butalsoformeetingtherequirementsofcountriesalongtheroutesforeconomicdevelopment.Theideaofcommondevelopmentlyingatthecoreoftheinitiativeiswhathasbeenresonatingwiththeinternationalcommunity.
“Theprimetaskofmostcountriesispursuingtheirdomesticeconomicexpansion.Butmanycountriesaremeetingbottlenecks.SotheideaofcommondevelopmentadvocatedbytheBeltandRoadInitiativebasedontheprincipleofconstructionthroughconsultationisveryappealing,”DongtoldChinAfrica.
Pragmaticneeds
AccordingtoDong,manycountriesalongtheBeltandRoadarestilldeveloping.Thereforetheyarelaggingbehindininfrastructureandindustrialbases.Therearebothinternalandexternalcausesfortheirunderdevelopment.
Ofthe48nationsontheUN’slistofleastdevelopedcountriesasofMay2016,aroundonethirdliealongtheBeltandRoad,suchasAfghanistan,Nepal,MyanmarandYemen.
Dong,anexpertontheMiddleEast,pointedoutthattheinfrastructureofsomecountriesinthatregionisalsorelativelypoor.Besides,theirindustrialstructureisincompleteandlacksdiversity.
What’smore,duetoforeigninterventions,manycountriesintheregionhavesufferedpoliticalturbulenceinrecentyears.Theprevailingchaosmorethaneverunderlinestheimportanceofpeaceandimprovementofpeople’slivelihoods.WithWesterncountriesallegedlyconcernedonlyaboutregimechangesandnotregionaldevelopment,theBeltandRoadhasbecomeapopularchoicefortheunderdevelopedworldtomeettheirpragmaticneedsfordevelopment.
TheinitiativetoconnectAsiawithEurope,Africaandbeyondbyrevivingancienttraderoutesandcreatingnewtradeandinfrastructurenetworksisbearingresults.Forinstance,theChongqing-Xinjiang-EuropeInternationalRailwaywhichconnectsChina’sChongqingMunicipalityandGermany’sDuisburgCityisnowanimportanttraderoute,acceleratingthecirculationofcommoditiesbetweenChina,RussiaandCentralAsianandEuropeancountries.The2-km-longtraincoversthe12,000kmtoDuisburgin13days.
HelgaLaRouche,founderofSchillerInstitute,aGermanthinktank,describedtheresponsetotherailwayinEurope.“TheSerbianpeopleareextremelyhappyabout[therailwaybetweenBudapestandBelgrade]thatwillshortentraveltimefromeighthourstothree,”shesaid.
ItseffectisalsoevidentinAfrica,creatingconfidencethatunderdevelopmentandpovertywillbeovercome.LaRouchesaidatarecentinternationalconferenceinHamburg,theAfricanrepresentativestalkedaboutChineseinvestmentininfrastructure,railways,hydropowerplantsandotherprojectsintheircountries.“ThereisforthefirsttimeinAfricathepossibilitytoovercomeunderdevelopmentandpoverty,”shesaid.“[Africanshavesaid]iftheEuropeanscontinuetobesoagainst[theBeltandRoad],theywillbesidelined.”
NdubuisiChristianAni,anEthiopianresearcherattheInstituteforPeaceandSecurityStudiesinthecapitalcity,AddisAbaba,calledtheBeltandRoad“totallyinlinewithAfrica’smuch-desiredneedforinfrastructureandeconomicdevelopment.”
AttheLeadersRoundtableoftheBeltandRoadForum,PresidentXistressedthattheinitiativeisopentoall.Hesaidwiththeworldfacingthechallengesofsluggishtradeandinvestment,wobblingeconomicglobalizationandincreasinglyunbalanceddevelopment,nottomentionconflictsandterrorism,onlybyaligningpoliciesandintegratingeconomicfactorsandresourcesgloballycancountriescreatesynergytopromoteworldpeace,stabilityandshareddevelopment.
Inthepastfouryears,Chinesebusinesseshaveinvestedmorethan$50billionincountriesalongtheroutes.Chinahassignedcooperationagreementswithover40countriesandinternationalorganizationsandcarriedoutframeworkcooperationonproductioncapacitywithmorethan30countries.
Chinaisworkingwithothercountriesinvolvedintheinitiativetopromotetradeandinvestmentfacilitationandimprovethebusinessenvironment.InKazakhstanandotherCentralAsiancountries,thecustomsclearancetimeforagriculturalproduceexportedtoChinahasbeenslashedby90percent.TradebetweenChinaandotherBelt-and-Roadcountriesin2014-16exceeded$3trillion.
Globalization2.0
ProfessorPeterDrysdaleofAustralianNationalUniversitybelievestheinitiativeismorethanagrowthenginefortheglobaleconomy.
“Itisnotonlyaveryimportantelementinstimulatingtradegrowthandeconomicrecoverybutalsoinpushingbackagainsttheforcesofanti-globalizationintheAtlanticregion,”DrysdaletoldChinAfrica.
Heseestheinitiativeasaframeworkfordeepeninginternationaleconomiccooperationthroughaplatformofopenregionalism.Thisplatformpromoteseconomicintegrationbystrengtheningpolicy,infrastructure,trade,financialandpeople-to-peopleconnectivity.“Thisiscriticalatatimewhentheopenglobaleconomicregimeisunderchallenge,”Drysdalestressed.
Sincetheinternationalfinancialcrisisin2008,globalizationhassloweddown.In2016,theproportionofglobalgrossexportsinGDPdeclinedtobelow20percent.BrexitandU.S.PresidentDonaldTrump’sseriesofprotectionisttradepoliciesalldisplayananti-globalizationtendencyindevelopedcountries.AUnitedNationsConferenceonTradeandDevelopmentinJanuaryestimatedthattheglobalforeigndirectinvestmentin2016wasaround$1.5trillion,falling13percentfromayearago.
WangHuiyao,PresidentoftheCenterforChinaandGlobalization,saidwith“Globalization1.0”facingsetbacks,theBeltandRoadInitiativeisprovidingtheworldwithanewchoiceforglobalization.
Theinitiativeisenrichingthecontentsofglobalization,hesaid.AnewtypeofglobalizationisChina’scontributiontotheinternationalcommunityasamajorcountry,WangtoldChinAfrica.
Commoncommitment
Withtheadoptionofajointcommuniquéattheleadersroundtable,theforumunveiledaclearwayforfuturecooperation.ChineseStateCouncilorYangJiechitoldChinaCentralTelevisionthattheforumhasclarifiedanassortmentofprojectstobeimplementedwithintheframeworkoftheinitiative.Moreover,Chinasignedcooperationagreementswith14internationalorganizationsonassistanceprograms.
Chinaannounceditwillprovideassistanceworth60billionyuan($8.7billion)inthecomingthreeyearstodevelopingcountriesandinternationalorganizationsparticipatingintheBeltandRoadInitiativetoimprovepeople’swell-being.Inaddition,therewillbeemergencyfoodassistanceworth2billionyuan($290million)todevelopingcountriesandanadditional$1billiontotheAssistanceFundforSouthSouthCooperation.
LaRoucheenvisionstheBeltandRoadInitiativeasbecominga“trueworldlandbridge.”“Itwillnotonlybringeconomicprosperitytoallparticipatingcountries,butalsoserveasatruebasisforapeaceorderforthe21stcentury,”sheforecast.CA
ParticipantsoftheLeadersRoundtableoftheBeltandRoadForumforInternationalCooperationposeforagroupphotoattheBeijingYanqiLakeInternationalConvention&ExhibitionCenteronMay15