THE BELT AND ROAD: FULL STEAM AHEAD

More than two millennia ago, land and sea trading routes that linked the “Middle Kingdom” with the rest of the world were fi rst explored and established. These routes would later be referred to as the Silk Road by the generations that followed. It was via these routes that merchants brought not only Chinese silk, tea, porcelain and other materials and products to every corner of the globe; they also carried with them Chinese civilization and friendship, which were widely hailed by the people of many dif f erent countries.

Today, under the cooperative framework of building the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, China and ASEAN countries are exhibiting tremendous potential for growth. While exporting valuable and useful commodities and state-of-the-art technology and equipment to Southeast Asian countries, China has also provided assistance in education and public health, helping local communities fulf i ll their social responsibilities. Never have the bonds between China and ASEAN countries been so close whether in terms of developing the economy, improving people’s livelihoods, alleviating the impact of fi nancial crises or accelerating industrial upgrading and transformation.

Ahead of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, which was held in Beijing on May 14-15, two groups of journalists from China International Publishing Group (CIPG) attended tours of Vietnam and Myanmar, respectively. From the construction site of the China-Myanmar crude oil pipeline on Maday Island in Kyaukpyu, Myanmar, to the Vinh Tan Coal-f i red Power Plant in Binh Thuan Province, Vietnam, and from the Chinese classroom at Buddha Ditar temple in Yangon to the China-Myanmar friendship school, CIPG reporters experienced the progress China and ASEAN countries have jointly made in development and documented their shared aspiration for common prosperity.