BEIJING, March 10 (Xinhua) -- During China's ongoing "two sessions", high-quality development of the Belt and Road (B&R) has been a spotlight as the country strives to make B&R a belt of development and a road to happiness in a changing world full of turbulence and transformation.
-- Breakthroughs in year of challenge
At a press conference held during the "two sessions", Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi elaborated the breakthroughs made in 2021 in terms of the B&R.
Over the past year, the infrastructure connectivity under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has seen great progress, with major projects completed, such as the China-Laos railway and the new Haifa port in Israel.
For example, the 1,035-km China-Laos railway, a landmark project of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, has seen growth in freight volume as well as cargo category, since it started operation on Dec. 3, 2021. As of March 3, the railway has handled about 350 international freight trains delivering more than 250,000 tonnes of cargo, according to the operator.
China-Europe freight train service, another significant program under the BRI, also made huge progress, boosting the recovery and stability of supply chains amid the pandemic.
According to China State Railway Group Co. Ltd., the China-Europe freight trains now reach 180 cities in 23 European countries, with the total number of trips topping 50,000.
Meanwhile, people-to-people connectivity featuring mutual help and assistance continued to deepen under the BRI.
China has given staunch support to other countries in their fight against the COVID-19, and are working on joint vaccine production with 20 developing partners, most of which are BRI countries, according to Wang.
Anti-epidemic supplies provided by the Chinese government arrived in Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands, on Feb. 18, 2022. (The Chinese Embassy in Solomon Islands/Handout via Xinhua)
With the deepening of the BRI, it has not only strengthened the connectivity of the infrastructure and people among the BRI countries and regions, but also truly improved the people's livelihood.
Moin ul Haque, Pakistani ambassador to China, said that the BRI has injected new vitality to Pakistan's economy. By now, the cooperation under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) initiative has created over 70,000 jobs and is expected to create 500,000 jobs in the following five to seven years.
-- Commitments to higher-quality cooperation under BRI
China has made commitments to promote high-quality cooperation under the BRI, a highlight in the government work report delivered during the ongoing "two sessions".
According to the report, by holding the principle of achieving shared growth through consultation and collaboration, China will move steadily to open up new areas of cooperation on the basis of consolidating cooperation on enhancing connectivity. It will further develop the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, a trade and logistics passage jointly built by western Chinese provincial regions and Singapore.
According to the report, China will also increase imports of quality products and services, through exploring new ways to develop trade in services and digital trade and implementing a negative list for cross-border trade in services. The country's reform to simplify customs clearance will be deepened, and the building of an international logistic services system will be accelerated to help lower costs and raise efficiency in foreign trade.
Besides, foreign investors will gain an easier access to invest in China. China vows to observe the negative list for foreign investment and ensure national treatment for all foreign-invested enterprises, said the report.
All those measures and commitments show the country's solid determination to wider opening-up and high-quality development of the BRI.
Photo taken on Sept. 29, 2021 shows cargo containers in Malaszewicze, Poland. (Xinhua/Zhang Zhang)
Earlier, in February, a senior official also said the BRI should continue to feature extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits and aim for high-standard, sustainable, and people-centered progress. Besides, more energy should go into projects concerning people's livelihood to improve people's sense of gain in participating countries.
-- Resilient Belt and Road advances with the time
According to a World Bank study, the BRI will help 7.6 million people out of extreme poverty and 32 million out of moderate poverty in these countries. It will increase trade in participating countries by 2.8 to 9.7 percent, global trade by 1.7 to 6.2 percent and global income by 0.7 to 2.9 percent.
"The BRI shows resilience as it is in line with the need of the time, and keeps up with the time," said Wang Yiwei, professor with Renmin University of China.
He added that in the face of rising protectionism and unilateralism, the China-proposed BRI, as a way to keep and practice the genuine multilateralism, has added impetus to multilateralism featuring openness, inclusiveness, and win-win cooperation. Keeping up with the time, the BRI has developed new dimensions, covering health, digitalization, and green development.
Aerial photo taken on Dec. 13, 2019 shows the 50 MW solar power farm in Garissa, Kenya. The plant, designed and built by the EPC contractor China Jiangxi Corporation for International Economic and Technical Co-operation (CJIC), in conjunction with Kenya's Rural Energy Authority (REA), is one of the largest photovoltaic electricity stations in Africa. (Xinhua/Xie Han)
According to Ding Yifan, a researcher with the Development Research Center of China's State Council, sustainable and environmental-friendly development path has been increasingly valued all over the world, and thus high-quality development has been a key word for the Belt and Road. Building a green, digital and health silk road will become the future's focus.
(Edited by Li Shimeng with Xinhua Silk Road, lishimeng@xinhua.org)
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