Beijing, August 23, 2024 (AGP) – The implementation of China’s initiative to build the “Belt and Road” with its partners and global development was the subject of a presentation on Friday, August 23 in Beijing, China, at a seminar on knowledge sharing and development that began last Wednesday, it was noted.
Led by the former Chinese Ambassador to Gabon, Sun Jiwen, this theme was the second of the day during which he spoke to participants from French-speaking African countries, recipients of the said seminar.
In his introductory remarks, he reviewed the history of this initiative, recalling that it was a proposal made by the President of the People’s Republic of China, Xi Jinping.
“In September 2013, when President Xi Jinping visited Kazakhstan, he proposed building the ‘New Silk Road Economic Belt’. In October 2013, when President Xi Jinping visited Indonesia, he proposed building the ’21st Century Maritime Silk Road’,” he recalled.
In the same vein, he made a historical reminder by saying that the maritime Silk Road dates back to the beginning of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC), starting from Southeast China to the Mediterranean. While “The Silk Road” has been known since the beginning of the Han Dynasty (majority ethnic groups) of the West (206 BC-8), from central China (Xi’an) to Central Asia and Europe, specifying that Zheng He, a great Chinese navigator, had made seven maritime expeditions from 1405 to 1434.
Regarding the objectives of the initiative, Sun Jiwen said that it initially aimed to facilitate trade and cultural exchanges (Tea, Porcelain, Silk, Spices, Coffee, Seeds), promote peace and development, and respond to the impact of the 2008 global financial crisis. He also said that it was a question of helping developing countries overcome difficulties (lack of infrastructure, financial funds).
But more than in the past, the former diplomat will say that currently, the “Belt and Road” Concept aims “to hold high the flag of peaceful development, to actively develop economic cooperation with partner countries, to build together a community of common interest, responsibility and destiny, marked by mutual political trust, interconnected economy and inclusive culture.”
He said that this Initiative is built around two components: Building a new railway with the aim of connecting China to all the other countries involved in this initiative in Asia and Europe, and building several maritime corridors to Africa and South America. Not without noting the positive opinions and reactions on the international level to support the initiative.
“In July 2015, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization issued the “Statement of the Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization” to support the initiative to build the “Silk Road Economic Belt.” In September 2016, the “Communiqué of the Hangzhou Summit of G-20 Leaders” adopted the initiative to establish a “Global Alliance for Infrastructure Connectivity.” The Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation adopted the Beijing Declaration on Building a Closer China-Africa Community with a Shared Future. The Second Ministerial Meeting of the China-Latin America Forum issued the “China-Latin America Special Statement on the Belt and Road Initiative.” The Eighth Ministerial Conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum issued the “Action Statement for China-Arab Cooperation in Building the Belt and Road,” he said. Continuing that more than 150 countries and 32 international organizations have signed a total of more than 200 cooperation documents with China.
As for the measures taken to support the initiative, the speaker mentioned the mobilization of financial resources to the capital of 13 billion US dollars in 2020 from the 103 countries of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) Foundation, the approval by the AIIB since its establishment, of more than 200 projects, with a total investment of more than 40 billion US dollars. He also added the establishment of the Silk Road Fund (2014) with 40 billion US dollars, more than 100 billion RMB yuan added (2017) more than 80 billion RMB yuan added (2023). Not without noting that until 2023, the Silk Road Fund had signed a total of 75 projects, with a committed investment of more than 22 billion dollars. And the investment covers Central Asia, West Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, North Africa, Russia, Central and Eastern Europe, Western Europe, North America, South America and other regions.
Similarly, he touched upon the commitment of China Development Bank Exim Bank of China, the investment covers the fields of infrastructure, resource development, industrial cooperation and financial cooperation, including power generation, ports, transportation, oil and gas, new energy, food and other industries.
The areas covered include political communication, infrastructure interconnection and trade facilitation. Regarding the latter, the speaker argued that between 2013 and 2023, the total trade volume between China and the Belt and Road partner countries exceeded 21 trillion USD, and Chinese direct investment amounted to over 270 billion USD. In 2023, China-Africa trade reached 282.1 billion USD, a record high for bilateral trade.
As for China’s exports to Africa, he said, they reached $148.367 billion, an increase of 29.9 percent year-on-year. The same is true for China’s imports from Africa, which reached $105.922 billion, an increase of 43.7 percent year-on-year.
“China will take eight major actions to support high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, including building a multi-dimensional Belt and Road interconnection network, supporting the development of an open world economy and trade, expanding pragmatic cooperation, promoting green development and scientific and technological innovation, and developing the path of integrity,” he concluded.
SN/FSS
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2024-08-23 17:53:54