Source:Global Times Published: 2017/4/19
Twenty-eight heads of state and government have confirmed they would attend the Belt and Road summit scheduled to be held in Beijing in mid-May, said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday. In addition, officials and experts of all industries and business from 110 countries and delegates from 61 international organizations will also be present.
The UN secretary-general, president of the World Bank, and chief of International Monetary Fund will participate in the round table summit.
The Belt and Road initiative was first envisioned by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013. It is commendable that its maiden summit attracts such a powerful line-up.
The top leaders that will be arriving include Russian President Vladimir Putin and top officials from China's other neighboring countries, as well as leaders from European nations like Italy, Spain, Greece, Switzerland, Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Belarus and Latin American countries such as Argentina, Chile, among others.
Over the past decade, the global financial crisis has precipitated too much protectionism and conservatism among a slew of disconcerting patterns. It is fair to say that the Belt and Road is an uplifting initiative, brimming with full-fledged optimism in the aftermath of the calamitous economic depression. It comes as the bright light in a gloomy time.
A small number of Western countries and those mired in prolonged disputes with China are still questioning whether the Belt and Road is one of Beijing's geopolitical strategies. And some Western media outlets always take it upon themselves to publicize this perception, which, however, has failed to dominate the international public opinion since many countries have benefitted from the initiative.
Once Wang Yi revealed the attendance list of the summit, some Western media immediately emphasized the absence of leaders from major Western powers.
However, they fail to acknowledge that countries in relatively advantageous geographical positions play major roles in the Belt and Road development. These countries have actively participated in the design and construction of the initiative; no country has ever lodged a protest in public.
It is certainly something encouraging in this diversified world that is laden with a myriad of misunderstandings.
In the current world order, it is easy to fight but difficult to get together to work on a win-win approach. Apart from the Belt and Road conception, China has also launched the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank which has, to the surprise of many, turned out to be a tremendous success in promoting the international community's understanding of China's ideas and modus operandi in making global public goods.
Some people think the Belt and Road initiative is too general and vague, but it is not an empty concept if you pay a visit to China's peripheral countries. It motivates and guides China's cooperation with those countries, stimulates people's imagination, spurs their courage to make investment, and shapes a trend of cooperation.
In those nations, many investors and local residents speak highly of the initiative. Since the Belt and Road was implemented, it has advanced the development of their occupations by leaps and bounds.
The world is destined to be interconnected and state-to-state relationship will without doubt become closer. Numerous business opportunities and endless potential are arising from this megatrend. Taking geopolitics as an omnipotent ruler to measure the Belt and Road vision is a cliché, of which every era has had a tinge. The consequence of following the beaten track is like playing with fire.
The doubts and speculations regarding the Belt and Road initiative will not deter China from its course. The large attendance of the summit is a testament to the vigor of the initiative. The Belt and Road has started and is now operating around the world, and will have a bright future.
In accordance with their national interests to promote social and economic progress, the development has brought about positive impacts to various countries. Therefore, it will further expand with the effort made by China and beneficiary nations.
The Belt and Road originated from China but is destined to reach all corners of the globe.