China’s Belt and Road Initiative is rooted in the desire to extend the benefits of its great development story
Zhu Feng says China is one of the world’s greatest development stories and its ambitious infrastructure investment plan is an attempt to extend the benefits of the country’s economic growth globally, especially to least-developed nations
Both the history of international relations and theories in the field show that development is the best way to reduce conflicts among states, mitigate domestic tensions and eliminate the threat of extremist forces such as terrorists. The concept of “development” today not only encompasses economic growth, rising employment and income augment, but also social justice, equality, democracy and legality of governance.
In the 21st century, development also emphasises the harmony between human beings and nature and between the economic and natural environment. The United Nations’ advocacy of “sustainable development” has made environmental protection a primary goal of economic development. Sustainable development has increasingly become the driving force behind a new round of globalisation and a path towards national and regional prosperity and stability.
China’s 40-year reform and opening up is undoubtedly one of the world’s most vivid development stories. With the largest population in the world and huge differences in regional development, China initially lacked the advantages, such as natural endowment and early modernisation, that characterised India, some Southeast Asian countries and Latin America.
Watch: Xi Jinping’s vision for China’s place in the world
In 2000, China’s gross domestic product only accounted for 10 per cent of the United States’; in 2017, it was 60 per cent. China’s university enrolment rate has increased substantially between 2000 and 2017. The strict “one-child policy” was replaced by a “two-child policy” in 2016.
