Socialism with Chinese Characteristics Enters a New Era

2. strive to build an interconnected partnership

Comrade Xi Jinping pointed out: “The key to jointly building the Belt and Road is connectivity. “1 The core here is policy communication, facility connectivity, unimpeded trade, financial integration, and people-to-people bonds. Comrade Xi Jinping has repeatedly explained the connotation of the “five links” and put forward pragmatic measures to deepen the cooperation between the “five links.” To promote international cooperation along the “Belt and Road” is to take the “five links” as the starting point, widely condense cooperation consensus, and comprehensively improve the level of cooperation.

First, strengthen policy communication. It is mainly to form a joint force of policy coordination and planning docking, promote relevant countries to learn from each other, establish policy coordination mechanisms, jointly formulate cooperation plans, and jointly take cooperative actions, form a situation of planning convergence, development integration, benefit sharing, and coordinated development, and continuously consolidate the “Belt and Road.” The political foundation of construction. Relevant countries have fully exchanged economic development strategies and countermeasures, based on the contact points and commonalities of development strategies, to achieve resource reallocation, strategic docking and complementary advantages, and achieve the effect of “one plus one is greater than two.”

Based on the principle of seeking common ground while reserving differences, we will consult and formulate plans and measures to promote regional cooperation, and give the “green light” to regional economic integration in terms of policies and laws. This includes docking and cooperation with the EU’s Eurasian Connectivity Strategy, ASEAN’s Connectivity Master Plan, Russia’s Eurasian Economic Union, Kazakhstan’s “Bright Road”, Turkey’s “Middle Corridor”, Mongolia’s “Development Road”, Vietnam’s “Two Corridors and One Circle”, the Philippines’ “Great Construction and Special Construction”, the UK’s “Northern Economic Center”, and Poland’s “Amber Road.”

Second, strengthen facility connectivity. Mainly guided by major projects and key projects, we will promote land, sea, air and online connectivity, build high-quality, sustainable, risk-resistant, affordable, inclusive and accessible infrastructure, and continuously improve the infrastructure network of the “Belt and Road” construction. Relevant countries negotiate and sign and implement transportation facilitation agreements, actively explore and improve cross-border transportation infrastructure, and build a complex infrastructure network led by economic corridors such as the New Eurasian Land Bridge, with China-Europe Express and New Land-Sea Corridor and other large corridors and information highways as the framework, and relying on railway and port pipe networks, so as to facilitate the economic development and personnel exchanges of various countries. Third, strengthen unimpeded trade. It is mainly to promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, take a clear stand against protectionism, and continuously release the vitality of mutually beneficial cooperation. Relevant countries will discuss and make appropriate arrangements on trade and investment facilitation, eliminate trade barriers, reduce trade and investment costs, strengthen the compatibility of rules and standard systems, improve the speed and quality of regional economic circulation, provide better business environment and institutional guarantees, and achieve mutual benefit and win-win results. China will sign high-standard free trade agreements with more countries, strengthen cooperation in customs, taxation, auditing and supervision, establish a cooperation mechanism for tax collection and administration under the Belt and Road Initiative, accelerate the promotion of international mutual recognition and cooperation among “authorized operators”, and build a broader platform for all parties to enter the Chinese market by holding the China International Import Expo. From 2013 to 2018, China’s trade in goods with Belt and Road-related countries exceeded US$6 trillion and its outward direct investment exceeded US$90 billion. Fourth, strengthen financial integration. It is mainly to deepen cooperation in the financial field and continuously improve the diversified investment and financing system of the “Belt and Road” construction. Relevant countries carry out various forms of financial cooperation to achieve local currency exchange and settlement under current and capital accounts, so as to greatly reduce circulation costs, enhance the ability to resist financial risks, and enhance the international competitiveness of the region’s economy.

The “Silk Road Fund” founded by China, the BRICS New Development Bank and Emergency Reserve Fund jointly established by China, Russia, India, Brazil and South Africa, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, and the “16+1” financial holding company and banking consortium established by China and Central and Eastern European countries. Complement each other and form a clear and large-scale “Belt and Road” financial cooperation network. The Roundtable Summit of the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation formulated the Guiding Principles for Financing the Belt and Road and released the Belt and Road Initiative, The Framework for Debt Sustainability Analysis provides guidance for financing cooperation along the Belt and Road. Fifth, strengthen people-to-people bonds. The main thing is to continuously build friendly bridges along the route and other countries around the world. Carry out in-depth humanities cooperation in education, science, culture, sports, tourism, health, archaeology and other fields, strengthen exchanges between parliaments, political parties and non-governmental organizations, and close exchanges among women, youth, disabled persons and other groups, forming a pattern of diversified and interactive people-to-people exchanges. Relevant countries should strengthen friendly people- to-people exchanges, jointly carry forward the spirit of the Silk Road, and jointly build the “Belt and Road”, The Sustainable Cities Alliance, the International Alliance for Green Development and other mechanisms and the implementation of the “Clean Silk Road Beijing Initiative”, actively carry out the construction of a healthy Silk Road, a green Silk Road, a clean Silk Road, etc., extensively carry out people’s livelihood cooperation, jointly carry out a series of training projects in the fields of environmental protection and anti-corruption, as well as various humanities cooperation projects such as the Silk Road Culture Year, Tourism Year, Art Festival, Film and Television Bridge, Seminar, Think Tank Dialogue, etc., to enhance mutual understanding and traditional friendship, so that the general public can become The main force and beneficiaries of the Belt and Road construction have laid a solid foundation of public opinion and social foundation for regional cooperation.

On this basis, as an advocate, practitioner and promoter of the “Belt and Road” construction, China will also vigorously promote the realization of the trinity of policies, rules and standards of relevant countries, and put the “Belt and Road” in the “Belt and Road”; Cooperation in construction is coordinated and aligned with the implementation of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and with international and regional development initiatives such as the G20, APEC, ASEAN, African Union, Eurasian Economic Union, European Union, CELAC and other international and regional development initiatives, and strive to complement and promote each other; Promote the formation of a framework led by the “Belt and Road” Forum for International Cooperation and supported by multilateral and bilateral cooperation in various fields, focus on building mutually beneficial cooperation networks, new cooperation models, and diversified cooperation platforms, strengthen bilateral and third-party market cooperation, and enable cooperation to lead existing concepts and follow up actions. There is also a mechanism guarantee, with points leading the surface, from line to piece, gradually forming a new situation of regional cooperation.