Chinanews.com, Beijing, Oct. 10 (Xinhua) -- From "hard connectivity" and "soft connectivity" to "heart connectivity": how does the Belt and Road Initiative connect all parties?
Author of Zhongxin Finance and Economics Yin Qianyun
2023 marks the 28th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative. What is the future for development? The International Symposium on "High-quality Belt and Road Cooperation: Achievements and Prospects" hosted by the Institute of Asia-Pacific and Global Strategy of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences was held in Beijing on the <>th.
Hard connectivity: Infrastructure interconnection
"Infrastructure connectivity is the highest priority and the most distinctive label for the Belt and Road Initiative." Zhai Dongsheng, director of the Belt and Road Construction Promotion Center of the National Development and Reform Commission, used a sentence to emphasize the importance of infrastructure in the joint construction of the "Belt and Road". In his view, the infrastructure construction of the "Belt and Road" is beneficial to many parties. On the one hand, it has improved the production and living conditions of the host countries, eliminated the bottlenecks and constraints of development, and improved the efficiency of its economic operation, on the other hand, it has reduced the trade costs between the developed countries in the West and these countries, and at the same time has released China's construction capacity, which is ultimately conducive to optimizing the allocation of resources on a global scale and promoting broader and deeper globalization.
Bhusani Nkaveni, President of the National Academy of Administration of South Africa, also said that the current global South countries need high-quality development, and rapid industrialization, infrastructure development capacity building and technology transfer are very important for them, which can also better understand and evaluate the benefits brought by the "Belt and Road" initiative.
Kang Lahi Chobenpan, Vice President of the National Academy of Social and Economic Sciences of Laos, gave specific suggestions that the "China-ASEAN Aviation Cooperation Framework Agreement" can be used in the future to strengthen infrastructure connectivity and support the development of civil aviation and tourism.
Soft connectivity: Policy docking rules are interconnected
If the "hard connection" of infrastructure breaks the visible obstacles, then the invisible obstacles such as policy differences and different rules need the help of "soft connection".
Gladen Papin, president of the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs, believes that the Belt and Road Initiative provides a new way of thinking about how the world develops and communicates. Under this initiative, Soft Connect hopes for more pragmatic cooperation that allows countries to maintain their national identities while participating fully in global platforms, and that engagement reflects national cultural and policy priorities, while finding more ways to stay connected.
In the view of Indonesian Ambassador to China Zhou Haoli, in order to form a synergy in the process of participating in the "Belt and Road" cooperation, it is necessary to form a policy synergy between the "Belt and Road" initiative and Indonesia's initiative to create more multiplier effects, which has been confirmed in the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed rail project. He further emphasized that the key elements for successful synergy include equal partnerships, mutual benefits and sustainability.
Heart-to-heart connectivity: people-to-people exchanges
In addition, "heart-to-heart connectivity" is an important foundation for the joint construction of the "Belt and Road". Only when people are united can the cooperation between China and the co-construction countries be deeply integrated, understood and supported by each other.
"People-to-people exchanges are a bridge between hearts and minds," Wei Zhenyu, director of the China Program at the Indonesian Center for Strategic and International Studies, stressed that Indonesia and China should pay enough attention to people-to-people exchanges when jointly building the Belt and Road Initiative, which can deepen the friendship and mutual understanding between the two peoples, which will last much longer than political and economic ties.
Xu Liping, director of the Asia-Pacific Social and Cultural Research Office of the Institute of Asia-Pacific and Global Strategy of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, believes that the political systems, economic levels and religious cultures of the countries that jointly build the "Belt and Road" are different, and their understanding of development is also different.
In the view of the participants, high-quality Belt and Road cooperation requires not only the "hard connectivity" of infrastructure, the "soft connectivity" of institutional rules, but also the "heart-to-heart connectivity" of the people of the countries where the co-construction is built. (ENDS)