In 1662, at the wedding of Portuguese Princess Catherine of Braganza and Charles II, King of
England, Scotland, and Ireland, two items in the dowries, exquisite porcelain and mellow tea from
China, caused a sensation in the whole of Europe. Porcelain and tea entered the Portuguese upper
class through bilateral trade between China and Portugal.
In 2018, Portugal and China signed an agreement on cooperation under the framework of the Belt
and Road Initiative, making Portugal the first country in Western Europe to participate in the
initiative.
Such stories continue to emerge. Since Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the initiative in
2013, China’s “circle of friends” has continued to expand. By the end of October 2019, China had
concluded cooperation agreements with 137 countries and 30 international organizations.
As a Chinese saying goes, “To know whether a policy is good or not, you should see if it makes
people frown or smile.”
In Uzbekistan, Chinese personnel worked closely with locals, building a 19-kilometer tunnel in
just 900 days. The tunnel, which is the longest in Central Asia allows Uzbeks living in remote
areas to travel through mountains and ranges in 900 seconds or just 15 minutes.
Thanks to the Belt and Road Initiative, fishermen who catch crayfish along the banks of the Nile
in Egypt can now see their crayfish on Chinese people’s dining tables. The high demand from
China also puts more money in their pockets. For them, the initiative is a path to wealth.
In Serbia, Chinese companies helped revive a near-bankrupt steel plant, securing jobs and stable
incomes for 5,000 workers.
Joint construction with participating countries allows Belt and Road countries to align their
development strategies and match their strengths, thus releasing the development potential of
these countries and bringing tangible benefits to their peoples.
Our world today is a “disordered world.” Against the backdrop of profound changes, development
is the master key to solving all problems.
The reason why the BRI has attracted so many participants is that it conforms to the desire of
countries, especially developing ones, to seek development.
Belt and Road construction is successful because it focuses on economic development rather than
promoting political output; promotes openness and cooperation rather than protectionism; aims to
achieve mutual benefits and win-win results rather than to play zero-sum games; adheres to
international rules rather than separate rules; and offers the world a path to opportunities and
prosperity.
The Belt and Road is China’s solution for win-win cooperation.
Source: People’s Daily Online
China-Europe freight train X9003 leaves Xi’an, Northwest China’s Shaanxi Province for
Uzbekistan, carrying 49 containers of refrigerators, tea, lamps, and air compressors, May 6. Photo
by Tang Zhenjiang/People’s Daily Online
