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Belt and Road Cooperation: Shaping a Brighter Future

Zhang Weixin
Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Willemstad

WILLEMSTAD — Chinese President Xi Jin- trade cooperation zones and 300,000 achieve the Sustainable Development our cooperation. We support interna-
ping proposed the building of the Silk local jobs. As a result, some develop- Goals, and that the United Nations is tional cooperation in anti-corruption.
Road Economic Belt and the 21st Cen- ing countries have their first modernized poised to support the alignment of the We will act in the spirit of win-win, focus
tury Maritime Silk Road in 2013, which is railway; others even have high-speed Belt and Road Initiative with the Sustain- on improving physical connectivity, and
called the Belt and Road initiative (BRI). railways and cross-sea bridges. Land- able Development Goals. Relevant insti- build a stronger momentum for common
This initiative draws on the historical wis- locked countries have transformed into tutional research believes that Belt and development and forge an even closer
dom and signs of ancient Silk Road, and land-linked ones. 15,000 trains of China- Road cooperation plays a positive role partnership. The Chinese government
is in response to the severe challenges of Europe rail service over these years have in implementing the UN 2030 Agenda for always encourages Chinese enterprises
deficit in peace, development and gov- carried goods, as well as friendship and Sustainable Development and reducing to conduct foreign investment coop-
ernance to mankind. It aims to enhance hope to their destinations, connecting poverty. Other outcomes, for instance, eration in accordance with market prin-
connectivity and pragmatic coopera- Asia and Europe continents. Data from the Beijing Initiative for Clean Silk Road, ciples, international rules and local laws,
tion, and to deliver win-win outcomes the World Bank and relevant internation- and the Cooperation Initiative on Silk and by principles of intensive consulta-
and common development. Over the al institutes indicate that the implement Road of Innovation, have reflected that tion, joint contribution and shared ben-
past more than 5 years, 127 countries of BRI will reduce global average cost by the BRI complies with the trend of times efits, to make sure that the high-quality
and 29 international organizations have 1.1%-2.2% and global economic growth and people’s expectations for a better requirements are in line with local con-
signed documents on Belt and Road co- increase by 0.1%. life. Belt and Road is a road of open- ditions and better benefit the people as
operation with China. BRI has already It was also common consensus of the ness and has extended new practices well as local economy and society.
become the most popular public goods forum that Belt and Road is a road of to improve global governance. The BRI The friendship between China and the
and the largest cooperation platform in opportunities towards prosperity, all par- embraces the spirit of ancient Silk Road, Netherlands has a long history. In recent
the world. ties agreed to act in the spirit of multi- which is peace and cooperation, open- years, high-level exchanges between
lateralism and strengthen all-round con- ness and inclusiveness, mutual learning our two countries have been frequent,
The Second Belt and Road Forum for In- nectivity, enhance the complementarity and mutual benefit, and is guided by and the level of pragmatic coopera-
ternational Cooperation (BRF) was suc- between the BRI and the development the principle of extensive consultation, tion under the Belt and Road frame-
cessfully held in Beijing during April 25th plans of participating countries as well joint contribution and shared benefits. work has been continuously improved.
and 27th. Heads of state and govern- as regional and international develop- The initiative originated in China, but it The Netherlands is the second largest
ment from 38 countries, United Nations ment initiatives, to achieve common de- belongs to the world. It is an open and trading partner and investment destina-
and International Monetary Fund, as well velopment through global partnership inclusive economic cooperation initia- tion of China among European Union
as more than 6000 guests from over 150 on connectivity. tive, not an exclusionary bloc. It pursues countries, and the investment from the
countries and 90 international organiza- Belt and Road is a road of green devel- partnerships, win-win cooperation and Netherlands to China ranks 3rd in EU.
tions participated in the forum. During opment and it promotes sustainable de- common development. It promotes There have been several railway lines
3 days, they discussed how to promote velopment. Participants of the Second globalization and building a commu- between our two countries, among
high-quality Belt and Road cooperation BRF agreed China’s green proposal, to nity with a shared future for mankind. which, the Chengdu-Tilburg line has 4
and enhance pragmatic cooperation launch green infrastructure projects, All countries who have interest are wel- trains running every week. More than 90
to better benefit the people. The forum make green investment and provide come to participate the BRI. passenger and cargo flights each week
consisted of leader’s roundtable sum- green financing. China and its partners The joint communiqué of the round-ta- also connect us. A quarter of the goods
mit, the high-level meeting, 12 thematic have set up the BRI International Green ble summit clearly proposed to pursue in the Port of Rotterdam are from China.
forums and the CEO conference, with Development Coalition, formulated the trade and investment liberalization and We have extensive cooperation in many
fruitful outcomes. A total of 283 achieve- Green Investment Principles for the Belt facilitation, to support an open, inclusive areas such as smart cities, chip manu-
ments were reached, including multi- and Road Development, implemented and rules-based multilateral trading sys- facturing, aerospace, water resources,
bilateral cooperation agreements and the Green Silk Road Envoys Program, tem, and to establish working regimes energy, environment protection, health
pragmatic cooperation projects. The and jointly initiated the Belt and Road including financial supports, investment and others. All twelve provinces of the
joint communiqué issued by the summit South-South Cooperation Initiative on environment, risk-control and people- Netherlands have signed sister city
has demonstrated the extensive con- Climate Change. All these measures will to-people exchanges, with high-quality agreements with Chinese relevant prov-
sensus and firm determination of partici- help protect the Earth which we all call infrastructure construction and industrial inces and cities. Every year, 350,000 Chi-
pating countries for a brighter future of home. Imbalance in development is the cooperation as their core. nese citizens travel to the Netherlands,
BRI. greatest imbalance confronting today’s China will continue to uphold the “gold- and about 10,000 Chinese students are
The BRI aims to promote connectivity world. In the joint pursuit of the BRI, we en principle” of consultation and contri- studying there. Latin America and Ca-
of policy, infrastructure, trade, finance must see that the vision of sustainable bution for shared benefits, champion the ribbean are the natural extensions of the
and people-to-people exchanges and development underpins project selec- concept of open, inclusive and trans- 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. Close to
improves people’s lives. Since 2013, tion, implementation and manage- parent cooperation, and strengthen the 20 countries in the region have signed
countries along the Belt and Road have ment, so as to create more opportunities synergy of development policies and Belt and Road cooperation documents
strengthened their development policies for developing countries, and achieve strategies. We will adhere to people- with China. We welcome Dutch Carib-
synergy with the BRI. Within the cooper- sustainable development. UN secretary- centered approach, focus on people’s bean actively participate in the BRI, and
ation framework, the BRI has brought 6 general Mr. Guterres pointed out dur- livelihood, and enhance the comple- board on the express trains of Sino-Dutch
trillion US dollars trade volume, 80 billion ing the forum, that the world will benefit mentarity with UN 2030 Agenda for Sus- and Sino-Latin America relationship de-
US dollars investment, 82 economic and from the BRI that accelerates efforts to tainable Development as we deepen velopment. q