Wang Fukang
Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to the Republic of Maldives
Recently , during the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2015, President of the people’s republic of China H.E. Mr. Xi Jinping has made a keynote speech named “Towards a Community of Common Destiny and A New Future for Asia”, in which he called on the Asian countries to join hands together to participate in building the Silk Road economic belt and a 21st century maritime Silk Road(the Belt and Road). In order to implement the Belt and Road initiative, At the same time, the Chinese government has issued the vision and actions on jointly building Silk Road economic belt and 21st century maritime Silk Road, which includes the background, principle, framework, cooperation priorities and mechanisms of jointly building the Belt and Road. With authoritative statement and rich in content, it will serve as a white paper.
What is the Belt and Road initiative?
In ancient time, the Silk Road was a trading route that connects the east and the west. It goes both through the Eurasia continent and across the Pacific ocean and Indian ocean. Via this route, not only quantities of goods have been traded, but also people to people and cultural exchange were conducted among countries alongside the Silk Road. For thousands of years , the Silk Road Spirit,-"peace and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning and mutual benefit"- has been passed from generation to generation, promoted the progress of human civilization and contributed greatly to the prosperity and development of the countries along the Silk Road.
When Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Central Asia and Southeast Asia respectively in September and October of 2013, he raised the initiative of jointly building the Silk Road Economic Belt and a 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, which have attracted broad attention from all over the world. the Belt and Road initiative, meeting the development needs of China, countries along the routes and the region at large, will serve the common interests of relevant parties and answer the call of our time for regional and global cooperation.
the Belt and Road initiative is not meant as rhetoric. It represents real work that could be seen and felt to bring real benefits to countries in the region. Thanks to the concerted efforts of relevant parties, the Vision and Action Paper of the initiative has been developed. Substantive progress has been made in the establishment of the Asian Infrastructure Bank （AIIB）. The Silk Road Fund has been launched, and constructions of a number of infrastructure connectivity projects are moving forward. These early harvests have truly pointed to the broad prospects the Belt and Road initiative will bring.
For more than a year , the Chinese government has been actively promoting the building of the Belt and Road, enhancing communication and consultation and advancing practical cooperation with countries along the Belt and Road , and introduced a series of policies and measures for early outcomes. Though proposed by China , the Belt and Road initiative is a common aspiration of all countries along their routes. China is ready to conduct equal-footed consultation with all countries along the Belt and Road to seize the opportunity provided by the initiative, promote opening-up, communication and integration among countries in a larger scope, with higher standards and at deeper levels, while giving consideration to the interests and aspirations of all parties.
Maldives is closely involved in the Belt and Road initiative
China and Maldives have been traditional friends on the ancient Silk Road, as it has linked our two countries for centuries. In the 21st century , since our bilateral relations have been deepening and expanding, it is natural for China and Maldives to join hands again in the renewed effort to build the Belt and Road together. In August 2014, during the visit of HE President Yameen to China to attend the Opening Ceremony of the 2nd Youth Olympics, Maldives expressed its wish to positively respond to China’s initiative of building 21st Century Maritime Silk Road(the MSR) together. In September 2014, during the state visit of H.E President Xi Jinping to Maldives, China and Maldives decided to establish a future-oriented all-round friendly and cooperative partnership. China welcomed Maldives to jointly build the MSR. In December 2014, during the first meeting of the China-Maldives Joint Committee on Trade and Economic Cooperation(JCTEC), the two sides signed the MoU on Jointly Promoting the Construction of the MSR under the Framework of JCTEC, setting out the roadmap for cooperation between China and Maldives under the MSR initiative. Meanwhile we are very glad to see that Maldives join and become the founding member of the AIIB.
China and Maldives are jointly building the Belt and Road and community of common destiny
In promoting the Belt and Road initiative, China will follow the principle of wide consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits. The programs of development will be open and inclusive, not exclusive. They will be a real chorus comprising all countries along the routes, not a solo for China itself. To develop the Belt and Road is not to replace existing mechanisms or initiatives for regional cooperation. Much to the contrary, we will build on the existing basis to help countries align their development strategies and form complementarity. Currently, more than 60 countries along the routes and international organizations have shown interest in taking part in the development of the Belt and Road. The Belt and Road and the AIIB are both open initiatives. We welcome all countries along the routes and in Asia, as well as our friends and partners around the world, to take an active part in these endeavors.
Now under the MSR initiative, the Male-Hulhule Bridge Project and Male International Airport Expansion Project have been advanced rapidly and they can achieve fruitful results in the near future. In addition, China and Maldives will promote policy coordination, facilities connectivity, unimpeded trade, financial integration and people-to-people bonds as our five major goals and strengthen cooperation in these key areas. The MSR initiative means more trade, more investment, more development, more opportunities and deeper friendship between China and Maldives. China and Maldives are jointly building the MSR and community of common destiny.
the Belt and Road cooperation features mutual respect and trust, mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, and mutual learning between civilizations. As long as all countries along the Belt and Road including Maldives make concerted efforts to pursue our common goal, there will be bright prospects for the Belt and Road, and the peoples of countries along the Belt and Road can all benefit from this Initiative. China is ready to conduct equal-footed consultation with all countries along the Belt and Road to seize the opportunity provided by the Initiative, promote opening-up, communication and integration among countries in a larger scope, with higher standards and at deeper levels, while giving consideration to the interests and aspirations of all parties, jointly building the human community of common destiny.