ABSTRACT
Since the proposal of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) by President Xi Jinping in autumn 2013, China has been harmonising development strategies with BRI participating countries, with steady progress in related cooperation programmes and achievements exceeding expectations. Over the course of more than 4 years, the pursuit of the Belt and Road Initiative grew from scratch and formed a well-knit network, with the participation of over 100 countries and international organisations, 40 cooperation agreements and MOUs being signed, over US$3 trillion trade volume being achieved, and an accumulated investment amount of over US$50 billion to countries along the Belt and Road. In doing so, the broad consensus for international cooperation has been reached and profound effects have been generated. The United Nations General Assembly, Security Council, UNESCAP, APEC, ASEM, the Greater Mekong Sub-Regional Cooperation, as well as a number of international organisations and multilateral agencies have inscribed or represented some connotations of the Belt and Road Initiative in their respective decisions or documents. Steady progress has been made in establishing the economic corridors, the interconnectivity network has gradually come into shape and trade and investment have grown remarkably. Key cooperation programmes have made steady headway, yielding early harvests. The founding of AIIB and the Silk Road Fund have laid solid foundations for financial cooperation. It is seen that over the 3 since the Belt and Road Initiative was put forward, fruitful outcomes have been achieved in cooperation programmes, with the influence sweeping across the globe, making BRI the most popular international public product thus far and the most promising international cooperation platform at present. The Belt and Road Initiative was proposed by China, but its outcomes benefit the whole world.
