BRI leading to peaceful development
Muhammad Zamir Assadi
The China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which has emerged as a platform to build a community with a shared future for mankind, has been applauded by the international community for pushing openness and inclusiveness, promoting peace and cooperation, mutual learning and mutual benefit around the globe.
Acceptance and appreciation from the international community with people representing different ethnicities, nationalities and countries show the initiative has laid the solid foundation of development with fabulous achievements across the globe.
BRI is a platform for collaboration since it offers so many prospects, such as infrastructure upgrades and breathing room for partner countries’ economies amid challenges.
According to the World Bank forecast, if all BRI transport infrastructure projects are carried out by 2030, the BRI will generate 1.6 trillion U.S. dollars of revenues for the world, or 1.3 percent of global GDP. Up to 90 percent of the revenues will go to partner countries.
The BRI could contribute to lifting 7.6 million people from extreme poverty and 32 million from moderate poverty from 2015 to 2030. It stimulates cooperation and ensures solid outcomes in sub-regions in Asia, Africa and Europe.
The signature initiative of Chinese President Xi Jinping has become a symbol of green, open, harmonized, innovative high-quality and shared developments, which is consequently protecting and maintaining peace and promotes people’s well-being in various sectors of life.
China’s endeavor to promote multilateralism via the BRI is helping to create a harmonious world that is contrary to protecting the narrow interests of a group of countries that divide the world.
One of the significant and interesting aspects of BRI is to note down that many projects under the framework of the BRI worldwide such as the ports development, infrastructural development, and building of power projects, agricultural and industrial development including the China-Europe freight trains are benefiting the locals and boosting their countries’ economy.
The participating countries are firmly supporting the BRI and working closely with China to deepen and strengthen the Belt and Road cooperation under a working mechanism of mutual consultation, joint collaboration and win-win situation.
With the passage of time, the development of BRI with its advanced shipping sector and financial services is helping member countries to get multilateral and advanced benefits in terms of commerce, trade, development and cooperation.
The greater cooperation and connectivity under BRI is also helping member countries to combat multiple challenges including climate change, pandemic and food insecurity.
In these difficult times when US wars and COVID-19 are disturbing the economic infrastructure of the international community, multilateral cooperation under BRI is the need of the hour for global economic success and development.
Similarly, this cooperation mechanism of mutual consultation is rejecting any notion of confrontation or a new Cold War mentality by promoting cooperation rather than confrontation.
The development initiative proposed by China has successfully been signed by 149 countries, including Pakistan, and 32 international organizations.
The Belt and Road Initiative has further promoted Chinese investment in participating countries and boosted the development of new models of cooperation between China and member countries.
The BRI member nations attach great importance to the development of the relationship with China, and both sides need to further strengthen cooperation in businesses, investment and tourism in the future.
International community is terming the BRI as an opportunity to leverage the economic potential of the South in the post-pandemic period as the initiative has economic grounds rather than strategic ones, reflecting China’s aspirations to build a prosperous international community.
From January to May, China’s trade with Belt and Road countries jumped by 16.8 percent year on year to 5.11 trillion Yuan.
China has been playing an important role in maintaining global and regional peace, security, stability and development so this is the reason the international community is joining the Chinese development initiative in a big number.
China always upholds a vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security and urges the world to discard Cold War and zero-sum mentalities, rejects the law of the jungle, and encourages the settlement of conflicts through peaceful ways.
Under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project of the BRI, China is assisting Pakistan with a number of projects including energy, transportation, communication and other infrastructure projects.
The CPEC is a manifestation of the good relationship between China and Pakistan and underlining the need for proactively promoting CPEC for Pakistan’s socio-economic development.
Pakistan is in a strategic location where huge transformations and transitions are taking place… the country is endeavoring to be the hub of regional connectivity through CPEC, by making a transition from geopolitics to geo-economics.
China remained committed to the path of peaceful development and win-win cooperation, hoping that all Asian countries would stay away from any conflict, confrontation and Cold War.
