BEIJING，Sept.27 (Xinhua) -- Since the Belt and Road Initiative was proposed in 2013, China has accumulated trade value of more than 5 trillion U.S. dollars with other countries along the Belt and Road routes and made direct outbound investment of more than 60 billion U.S. dollars, creating over 200,000 jobs in those countries. By investing in these foreign countries, China has driven the growth of global foreign investment.
As recognized by politicians, scholars, and people of those countries, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) which has seen remarkable results in the past five years is a cause that advocates win-win benefits, united strength, and joint efforts to realize development and dreams. It is a solution worked out by China to address human development problems.
--- Belt & Road, new direction
Duisburg, an inland port of Germany, is a witness of the achievements of the BRI. According to a report released on September 1 on the Washington Post's website, 30 trains are travelling from China to Duisburg every week, increasing from only three trains in 2014, and local officials expect the number to reach 50 per week in the next two years. "We can barely handle the booming business," said the manager of a local logistics company.
Jean-Pierre Raffarin, former French Prime Minister, said that the BRI has provided new topics and directions for cooperation between Europe and Asia, and it has opened up a bright prospect for world stability and prosperity in an international environment with increasing uncertainties.
Jochen Scholz, a retired German military officer who is preparing for the publication of the works relevant to the BRI, shares the same idea with Raffarin. He hopes more Europeans will realize that the BRI is an important opportunity for the future development of Europe and it provides Europe with new development options under the current international landscape.
--- Belt & Road, win-win cooperation
In the view of Sergey Lukonin, head of economy and politics of China at the Russian Academy of Sciences, the BRI has emphasized win-win cooperation and benefited both China and other countries along the B&R routes in the past five years.
The BRI, as a booster of the world economy, will connect the economies, promote the economic and trade exchanges, and enhance the interconnection among countries, according to Philippine Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III.
Carlos Castaneda, Foreign Minister of El Salvador, said that the Pacific Ocean has linked up China and Latin America which lies along the natural extension of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, and that the BRI is an important solution proposed by China to promote globalization.
"Western multinational corporations have been active in many BRI projects," said Feng Da-Hsuan, a senior researcher at the Institute of Advanced Studies of Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, "Germany-based Siemens has carried out extensive cooperation with hundreds of Chinese enterprises in electric power, petrochemical, and other sectors under the BRI. ITT, a U.S. shock absorber manufacturer, has also benefited from the BRI projects under the cooperation with CRRC, China's largest rolling stock manufacturer."
With the achievements of the past five years, China proves to the world that the BRI is not only a cause for win-win cooperation of all countries, but also a platform where people can realize their dreams.
--- Belt & Road, new hope
Gwadar Port, an iconic BRI project in Pakistan, has fully updated its facilities, and the construction of the free trade zone is developing by leaps and bounds. More than 20 enterprises will settle there.
Yassin, a local businessman, is preparing to invest in a grain and oil processing plant in the free trade zone with a Chinese partner. "We plan to increase the investment to 10 million U.S. dollars," he said.
"The BRI gives Gwadar Port a second life and makes us become hopeful again," said Dostain Khan Jamaldini, chairman of Gwadar Port Authority. The locals believe, with a large number of cooperation projects, Gwadar is expected to become an economic hub of Pakistan, just like Shenzhen in China.
Lillian, a housewife in Kenya who has been looking forward to an impromptu trip, bought a ticket to Mombasa at the Nairobi Railway Station.
"The fast Mombasa-Nairobi train helped me with my years-long dream by taking me to the seaside," she said. The Mombas-Nairobi Railway, which is built by Chinese companies and follows the Chinese standards, is regarded as an engine for regional economic development. It is reported that this standard-gauge railway has contributed 1.5 percentage points to the growth of Kenya's GDP.
Denis Sassou Nguesso, President of the Republic of the Congo, stressed that the BRI is highly consistent with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 and the AU's 2063 Agenda, and in line with Africa's vision of integrated development. It will contribute to the integration of the African continent.
"If Africa can seize the opportunity in the BRI to achieve infrastructure interconnection, it will unleash potential of the demographic dividends and contribute to the development of global economy." he said.
"As the Chinese saying goes, building roads is the first step to wealth," said Ahunna Eziakonwa, director of United Nations Development Programme’s Regional Bureau for Africa. She added that it is necessary to make the BRI further align with the needs of various countries and regions for better implementing the cooperation plans proposed by China.
Keshmeer Makun, a scholar at Fiji National University, said that the BRI is a timely rain to the South Pacific region. "The bridges, highways, hydropower stations and other projects built and operated under its framework are benefiting the people of Fiji, and we have benefited a lot from it." (By Hu Pingchao, hupingchao@xinhua.org)
