HOW ‘BELT AND ROAD’IS RESHAPING THE WORLD

On Nov. 9, 2014, Chinese President Xi Jinping greeted guests present at the opening ceremony of that year's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation CEO Summit, held at the China National Convention Center in Beijing. There, he delivered a keynote speech titled "Seek Sustained Development and Fulfill the Asia-Pacific Dream".

During his visits to Central Asia and Southeast Asia in September and October 2013, respectively, Chinese President Xi Jinping put forward the initiatives of jointly building the Silk Road Economic Belt and constructing the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road (hereinafter referred to as the Belt and Road Initiative), which immediately received a warm welcome and active response from the international community.

Three years have passed, and the Belt and Road Initiative has experienced a path from a blueprint to a project showing tangible benefits. Following President Xi’s footsteps, the initiative's presence has been felt in every corner of the globe, gaining increasing recognition and acceptance worldwide. From idea conception to extensive consensus, and from top-level design to project implementation, significant achievements have been made through cooperation in various fields, exerting a profound global influence. When delivering a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the Business 20 (B20) summit in September 2016, President Xi said: “I have proposed the initiative of building the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road to share China’s development opportunities with countries along the Belt and Road and achieve common prosperity.”

In May 2017, China will host the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing. At the invitation of President Xi, many heads of states and international organizations will attend the forum. To mark this event, China Report ASEAN is pleased to present a series of feature stories shedding light on what the initiative has achieved, while also providing our readers with a glimpse of the bright future of the initiative in its role as a great global cause.