Xi clears doubts over further reform

Belt and Road will clear all misunderstandings

Xi said at the Boao Forum for Asia on Tuesday that he is confident that China will deepen cooperation and resolve differences through the Belt and Road Initiative, while clearing doubts over the initiative's intents and purposes.

There are two kinds of misunderstandings over the Belt and Road Initiative. The first is intentional and biased: Certain Western "scholars" and media outlets hype up "China threat" theory in Western countries, and exaggerate the level of China's competition with them to create such a misunderstanding.

The second "misunderstanding" is based on a lack of information. Many economies involved in the Belt and Road Initiative are in Central Asia and Eastern Europe with rich natural resources, such as minerals and gas and oil reserves. So some people worry that China's influence may outbalance the West's influence in these regions and make it inconvenient for them to obtain natural resources, including gas and oil.

To clear the first kind of "misunderstanding", which actually is rumor, there is no better way than to firmly fight back. Those trying to arouse anti-Belt and Road sentiments still suffer from Cold War mentality, and they can be made to see reality only through appropriate action.

To clear the second kind of misunderstanding, China needs to more clearly explain the purpose of the Belt and Road Initiative to convince the countries with rich resources that the initiative will yield win-win results — China buys the resources at the market price, while these countries get the funds necessary to intensify their economic development. That China co-works with these countries to help them improve their infrastructure should also be emphasized.

The Belt and Road Initiative has three obvious characteristics that distinguish it from the previous and current developments plans of the West. First, the initiative is open to all — all countries can work with China under its framework;

Second, it is mutually beneficial. Both China and its partner countries benefit from the initiative.

And third, it does not come with any political conditions attached. When doing business with its partners, China has been strictly following international business rules and has never imposed any political conditions on them.

The fact that forums held in China, including the ongoing Boao Forum For Asia, have attracted so many participants from across the world is proof of the Belt and Road Initiative gaining trust. And with projects under its framework increasing, hopefully all misunderstandings over the Belt and Road Initiative will be cleared.

Zhang Yao, a researcher at Shanghai Institutes for International Studies. This is an excerpt from his interview with China Daily's Zhang Zhouxiang.