Hong Kong can play a key role in China's one belt, one road plan
Song Zhe says with its geographical advantages, international standards and large talent pool, the special administrative region is well placed to contribute to and share the benefits of China's initiative to foster global peace and development
China's one belt, one road initiative, described by Foreign Minister Wang Yi as the focus of China's diplomacy this year, is becoming a hot topic in the international community,
It has been over a year since President Xi Jinping put forward the idea to jointly build a silk road economic belt and a 21st-century maritime silk road, during his visit to Central Asia and Southeast Asia in September and October 2013. The recent unveiling of the vision and action plan by the Chinese government has added details to the blueprint.
The initiative comes as the world undergoes profound and complex changes. The underlying impact of the international financial crisis is still being felt. The world economy is recovering slowly, with mixed performances among economies. Major adjustments in the rules and landscape of international trade and investment are in the making. Countries still face big challenges. The belt and road initiative, in the face of all this, aims to find new models of international cooperation and global governance and help foster world peace and development.
As its name implies, the belt and road initiative covers two major routes. The "belt" is oriented towards the land; the "road" towards the sea. The two connect the vibrant East Asian economic circle at one end with the developed European economic circle at the other, encompassing a large region with huge growth potential. More than 60 countries have already expressed a willingness to be part of the initiative. Once completed, it will enable around four billion people to live in harmony and prosperity as members of a community of shared destiny.
It is incorrect to call the initiative "China's Marshall Plan"; for one, it is much older - the Silk Road has a history going back over 2,000 years and has been used by the peoples of many countries for friendly exchange. It is also younger - it was born in the era of globalisation and stands for win-win cooperation. To use a musical metaphor, the initiative is a symphony, not China's solo. All participants may join in the performance and benefit from it. The initiative involves concrete action, not empty slogans. A host of important projects have already been launched under its framework. The Silk Road Fund has been set up and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank is poised to take off.
China is willing to work with countries to steadily advance showcase projects, identify programmes that accommodate bilateral and multilateral interests, and accelerate the launch of agreed programmes that are ready for implementation, to ensure an early harvest. In building the belt and road, we don't need to develop new methods of cooperation to replace existing ones. We can build on what has been achieved, to encourage countries to coordinate their development strategies.