Ten years ago, China proposed to jointly build the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, known as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). It was a transformative vision at that time in response to a changing global situation, and with the future and overall interests of humanity in mind.

Over the past decade, BRI has turned from ideas into actions, from a vision into reality, and from a general framework into the largest international cooperation platform with the broadest coverage of any comparable project. 

And the significance of the initiative, aligning with the ultimate goal of building a global community of shared future, also has been enriched and rises to a new height as the "world today is going through profound changes on a scale unseen in a century.”

According to a State Council’s white paper that provides a comprehensive retrospective of the BRI's journey, from its ambitious inception to its execution, the BRI has surpassed its early projections in remarkable ways over the past decade. 

In terms of geographic reach, the BRI has garnered participation from more than 150 countries and over 30 international organizations, accounting for almost 75 percent of the world’s population. Across the spectrum of its engagement, the BRI extends its influence into a perse array of domains, spanning economics, culture, and ecology.

According to official data, over the past decade, China has signed more than 200 BRI cooperation agreements with BRI partners. More than 3,000 cooperation projects have been initiated.

Since its inception in 2013, the BRI has generated 420,000 jobs for participating countries and lifted about 40 million people out of poverty.

Over the past decade, Chinese loans or equity investments in BRI projects have been a trillion US dollars. From 2013 to 2022, China's trade with BRI participant nations has surged to a whopping $19.1 trillion, marked by an annual growth rate averaging 6.4 percent. Impressively, the cumulative two-way investment between China and its partner countries has reached $380 billion, with China contributing $240 billion. 

According to World Bank estimates, by the year 2030, the BRI is expected to generate a staggering $1.6 trillion in annual global revenue, equivalent to 1.3 percent of the global GDP. 

Across the globe, based on a framework comprising six corridors, six routes, and multiple countries and ports, the basic connectivity over land, maritime, air and cyberspace is in place through BRI cooperation.

As this network of transport corridors and economic hubs continues to expand, there is immense potential for enhancing trade, spurring investment, and improving the quality of life for countless citizens across participating nations. 

“Steel camel caravans” connecting Asia and Europe

Looking at the map of Eurasian, you’ll easily find rail links stretching  across the continent: it is the China-Europe Railway Express. 

Among them, the North passage mainly connects Mongolia, Russia and Belarus through China’s Erenhot, Manzhouli and other railway ports in Inner Mongolia, and other European countries through Poland. 

The Middle Passage mainly connects Kazakhstan through the Alashankou and Khorgos railway ports in Xinjiang, and meets the North Passage in Moscow. And the South Passage runs through Northwestern China’s Xinjiang, Kyrgyzstan, Iran and Turkey, and leads to Europe through the Black Sea Strait. 

There are now 86 freight train lines in China that are linked to more than 200 cities in 25 European countries and regions and more than 100 cities in Asia, so the network covers almost the entire landmass of Eurasia.

These intercontinental railways have greatly reduced trade costs by providing a swift and cost-effective alternative to sea or air freight, thereby driving the growth of global trade.

According to the World Bank, the BRI could reduce global trade costs by as much as 1.8 percent.

In 2022, goods trade between China and its BRI partners reached nearly $2.9 trillion, up nearly 76 percent from a decade ago, with new trade models and formats like Silk Road e-commerce and market procurement emerging to add resilience to trade cooperation between China and other BRI economies.

Over 2,000 years ago, numerous camel caravans from the two sides travelled along the ancient Silk Road. Today, camels have been replaced by trains, forming a ”steel camel caravan”, from "connecting points to lines" to "weaving lines to networks.” 

This network has brought together the economies of East Asia and developed Europe with the vast hinterland countries, resulting in increased economic and trade exchanges, the growth of thriving cities, and the emergence of a new center of global economic growth.

Global infrastructure breaking through bottlenecks

Another way in which the BRI is changing the world is through key projects to improve the level of infrastructure in various countries.

Numerous flagship projects, such as the Mombasa-Nairobi railway, the China-Laos railway, and the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway, are completed and operational. These milestones are poised to give a significant boost to emerging economies.

By tackling infrastructure disparities in developing countries, the initiative is helping dismantle obstacles that had long hampered their development.

One iconic project is the China-Laos Railway. Speeding through mountains and valleys, trains are carrying a rising volume of freight and passengers on the China-Laos Railway, a travel option that is cost and time-effective. 

Since its launch in December 2021, the 1,035 km rail line, which links the Lao capital Vientiane with Kunming, the capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, has generated benefits more than just at local levels.

As of May, the railway had employed more than 3,500 Laotian staff and indirectly generated over 100,000 jobs through its impact on logistics, transportation, trade, commerce, and tourism.

With 19 million passengers and 24 million tons of freight delivered and its cross-border cargo transport covering over 10 countries and regions, the railway has become a docking project between the BRI and Laos' strategy to convert itself from a landlocked country to a land-linked hub in the Indo-China Peninsula, benefiting both countries and beyond.

Turning to the Malpes, which is home to the first sea-crossing bridge in the Indian Ocean, the China-Malpes Friendship Bridge. The complex geology of coral reefs on the seabed made the construction process extremely difficult, but Chinese companies overcame the difficulties and built the bridge. 

And Indonesia has its first High-speed Railway, the Jakarta-Bandung High-speed Railway. What used to be a 3.5-hour drive now takes 40 minutes, and tourism has been boosted. As of May this year, 51,000 local people have been employed.

In Kenya, the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway has created 46,000 jobs and added more than two percentage points to local economic growth. It has also revitalized more than 30 towns along the route, leading to a new wave of urbanization in the area.

Elsewhere in Africa, Nigeria now has its first modern deep seaport Lekki, which is forecast to create nearly 170,000 jobs and generate revenue of $361 billion over the next 45 years. 

The initiative has facilitated the adoption of clean energy in Africa, helping it avoid the pollution associated with Western industrialization. 

These projects illuminate the transformative impact of the BRI, both as a catalyst for trade and as a source of significant investment in the participating nations, underscoring its pivotal role in shaping global economic dynamics. 

"The building of a great infrastructure across from Asia to Europe and back, and down to Africa as well, is transforming the world's economy," said Stephen Perry, chairman of Britain's 48 Group Club, describing the BRI as "the biggest transformative economic concept" in the history of the world.

Closer bond leading to the next "golden decade"

Whether we're talking about the hard connectivity of land-based roads and sea routes, the soft connectivity entailing collaborative efforts to enhance rules and standards, or the people-to-people connectivity in various arenas like education, culture, sports, tourism, and archaeology, the BRI has woven a sprawling network of cooperation and shared gains across the world.

BRI cooperation has upheld the principles of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, fostered synergy among the partner economies' development strategies, and respected the interests and concerns of all, according to the report released by the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, an affiliate of the Ministry of Commerce, during the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing.

Thanks to that, the BRI has fully tapped into the strengths of all participants and ensured that all parties share the fruits of development. It embraces the trend of economic globalization and strives to make globalization more open, inclusive, balanced and beneficial to all, the report said.

Since the initiation of the BRI, the aspiration of forging a community with a shared future has evolved from mere conceptualization to concrete action and from visionary idealism to tangible achievement. An increasing number of nations have come to appreciate China's assertion that development is not the exclusive privilege of a select few Western countries, but rather an inherent right accessible to all nations. 

A curious phenomenon emerges when we examine the spectrum of countries engaged in the BRI. Developing nations consistently exhibit a favorable stance toward BRI collaboration.

The BRI is not merely a vehicle for China's economic growth but a pathway to shared prosperity. It aims to bridge regional pides, boost trade, and foster sustainable development across Asia, Europe, Latin America and Africa. 

With the past 10 years of BRI bearing fruitful results, it is high time to usher in the next “golden decade” with development of higher quality.

From further improving connectivity to supporting an open world economy, China unveiled eight major steps to bring Belt and Road cooperation to a new stage of higher-quality and higher-level development at the Belt and Road Forum. 

These eight steps include to build a multidimensional Belt and Road connectivity network, support an open world economy, carry out practical cooperation to support high-level Belt and Road construction, promote green development, advance scientific and technological innovation, support people-to-people exchanges, promote integrity-based Belt and Road cooperation, and strengthen institutional building for international Belt and Road cooperation.

The future of BRI cooperation is rich with possibilities, as the BRI is a profound, long-term, and systematic global endeavor of the 21st century, and it has embarked on an enduring journey. 

The original framework of BRI, while primarily focusing on partnerships with developing nations, has become the bedrock upon which the Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, and Global Civilization Initiative have flourished. These progressive offshoots represent an intentional expansion of the initial vision, offering a wide array of dynamic approaches to fortify global development and the accomplishments of the BRI. 

As traditional infrastructure projects persist, the rising prominence of digital connectivity is set to drive substantial demand for digital infrastructure across the region. This digital frontier is poised to assume a central role in the next phase of BRI implementation.  Concurrently, the green and blue economies are poised to emerge as twin drivers. These multifaceted developments paint a promising picture for growth, collaboration and shared prosperity. 

十年栉风沐雨，十年春华秋实。

今年是“一带一路”倡议提出十周年。十年来，共建“一带一路”始终坚持共商共建共享原则，秉持开放、绿色、廉洁理念，以高标准、可持续、惠民生为目标，取得了实打实、沉甸甸的重大历史性成就。

“硬联通”方面。中老铁路、雅万高铁、匈塞铁路、比雷埃夫斯港等一批标志性项目陆续建成并投运，中欧班列开辟了亚欧陆路运输新通道，“丝路海运”国际航线网络遍及全球，“六廊六路多国多港”的互联互通架构基本形成。

截至9月底，中欧班列已经通达欧洲25个国家217个城市，累计开行超过7.8万列，运送货物超过740万标箱；运送货物占中欧贸易总额比重从2016年的1.5%提高到2022年的8%。

“软联通”方面。与共建国家持续深化规则标准等领域合作，《区域全面经济伙伴关系协定》已对15个签署国全面生效，我国与28个国家和地区签署了21份自贸协定，与65个国家标准化机构和国际组织签署了107份标准化合作协议，与112个国家和地区签署了避免双重征税协定。

“心联通”方面。教育、文化、体育、旅游、考古等领域合作不断深化，已与45个共建国家和地区签署高等教育学历学位互认协议，与144个共建国家签署文化和旅游领域合作文件，设立了“丝绸之路”政府奖学金，打造了“鲁班工坊”、“光明行”、菌草等一批“小而美”合作品牌。

贸易投资方面。与共建国家积极发展互利共赢的贸易投资合作关系，成功举办5届中国国际进口博览会，倡导成立亚投行和丝路基金，基本形成长期、稳定、可持续、风险可控的投融资体系。

2013年至2022年，我国与共建国家的货物贸易累计规模达到19.1万亿美元，年均增长6.4%，增速既高于同期我国外贸整体增速，也高于同期全球贸易增速。我国是110多个共建国家的主要贸易伙伴，贸易自由化便利化水平不断提升。

2013年至2022年，我国与共建国家的累计双向投资超过3800亿美元，其中对共建国家的直接投资超过2400亿美元，涵盖经济社会发展多个领域。我国还与共建国家合作建设了一系列的经贸合作区，截至2022年底累计投资已超600亿美元。

同时，共建国家也积极投资我国，共享我国发展机遇，十年来累计对华投资超过1400亿美元，在华新设企业接近6.7万家。

2013年至2022年，我国在共建国家的承包工程年均完成营业额约1300亿美元，建设了一系列标志性项目，有效改善了东道国的基础设施条件，大幅提升了互联互通水平。同时，大力推进绿色化、数字化发展合作，今年前8月，我国与共建国家新签的节能环保类项目合同额同比增长22%。

十年来，共建“一带一路”全面实现了从理念到行动、从愿景到现实的转化，引领构建了全球互联互通新模式、引领开辟了共同繁荣发展新道路、引领探索了全球治理体系变革新方案，成为深受欢迎的国际公共产品和国际合作平台，已有150多个国家和30多个国际组织加入共建’一带一路’大家庭，共建国家人民获得感、幸福感不断增强。

回顾“一带一路”十年历程，我们一起看看“一带一路”的格局有多大？

"钢铁驼队”连通亚欧大陆

地图上最为直观的，是亚欧大陆间已建起了数条北、中、南向的铁路线，即中欧班列。

其中，北通道主要经中国内蒙古二连浩特、满洲里等铁路口岸连通蒙古、俄罗斯、白俄罗斯，通过波兰通达欧洲其他各国。

中通道主要经新疆阿拉山口、霍尔果斯铁路口岸连通哈萨克斯坦，在莫斯科与北通道会合。

南通道从新疆出境，连通吉尔吉斯斯坦、伊朗、土耳其，再跨过黑海海峡到欧洲。

洲际铁路的开通，带来的直接好处就是降低了贸易成本。原本需要海运，甚至空运的货物，如今可以通过铁路快速运输，在时间快和成本低上取得了最佳平衡，直接促进了国际贸易的发展。

世界银行的研究表明，“一带一路”建设将使全球贸易成本降低1.8%。

目前，中国境内已铺画中欧班列运行线86条，通达欧洲25个国家和地区超过200个城市，以及11个亚洲国家和地区超过100个城市。

古丝绸之路上的驼队如今已变成一条条钢铁驼队，从“连点成线”到“织线成网”，成为基本覆盖亚欧大陆全境的国际运输大动脉。

这张大网，将活跃的东亚经济圈、发达的欧洲经济圈和中间潜力巨大的广大腹地国家联系起来，沿途城市随着经贸往来日渐繁荣，一个世界经济的新增长中心正在孕育形成。

基建项目打破发展瓶颈

“一带一路”倡议改变世界的另一个方式，是通过一个个重点工程项目，提升各国的基础设施水平，打破制约发展中国家进步的瓶颈。

在东南亚腹地的老挝，一条中老铁路让这个“陆锁国”变成“陆联国”。这条铁路连接老挝首都万象和中国云南，修建过程中，还清除了美国遗留下来的成千上万颗未爆炸的炸弹和地雷。铁路开通后客货两旺，口岸经济、跨境旅游蒸蒸日上。

在非洲，肯尼亚有了近百年来第一条现代化铁路——蒙内铁路，解决了蒙巴萨港与内陆地区货物运输效率低下的问题。这条铁路不仅为当地创造了4.6万个工作岗位，拉动了经济增长超过2个百分点，更是让设有站点的30多个城镇重新焕发生机，新一轮城镇化浪潮正席卷铁路沿线。

尼日利亚有了第一个现代化深水港——莱基港。它解决了老港设施陈旧，无法支撑海运需求的问题。据测算，莱基港45年内可以拉动尼日利亚3610亿美元的GDP增长，创造17万个就业岗位。一个港口带火了一座城，甚至一个国家。

马尔代夫有了印度洋上第一座跨海大桥——中马友谊大桥。海底复杂的珊瑚礁地质使得建设过程异常艰难，但中国企业硬是克服困难，把这座桥建了起来。

印尼有了第一条高铁——雅万高铁。原本3.5小时的车程，如今只需40分钟，旅游业被带动起来。截至今年五月，已吸纳了当地5.1万人次就业。

许多国家如牙买加、黑山共和国、乌干达有了第一条高速公路。“一带一路”倡议还帮助非洲开发清洁能源，非洲大陆上还建起了水电站、风电场、光伏电站。

共同奔向下一个金色十年

“一带一路”倡议就是这样吸引了全球超过四分之三国家的参与，实实在在地改善了全球30%人口的生活。

十年里，倡议拉动近万亿美元投资规模，为共建国家创造42万个工作岗位，让将近4000万人摆脱贫困。许多发展中国家已经涌现了新兴产业；许多亚太国家实现了经济正增长，地区工业革命蓄势待发，数字经济发展迅猛。

“一带一路”倡议开辟一条全球共同发展繁荣的新道路，让互联互通代替以邻为壑，让和平发展消弭争端分歧，让发展中国家牢牢掌握自己的命运，让世界结成休戚与共的人类命运共同体。 

这就是 “一带一路”倡议的宏大格局。它注定将成为人类社会发展史上一座重要里程碑。 

十年来，共建“一带一路”从中国倡议走向国际实践，从理念转化为行动，从愿景转变为现实，从谋篇布局的“大写意”到精耕细作的“工笔画”，成为深受欢迎的国际公共产品和国际合作平台，在推动人类可持续发展的方案中堪称典范。实践充分证明，共建“一带一路”顺潮流、得民心、惠民生、利天下，是人类通向美好未来的希望之路，具有强劲的韧性、旺盛的生命力和广阔的发展前景。

在第一个十年里，高质量共建“一带一路”已结出累累硕果。如何高质量推进共建“一带一路”，开启下一个黄金十年？

第三届“一带一路”国际合作高峰论坛上，中国也擘画了高质量共建“一带一路”的宏伟蓝图，宣布了八项行动：构建“一带一路”立体互联互通网络、支持建设开放型世界经济、开展务实合作、促进绿色发展、推动科技创新、支持民间交往、建设廉洁之路、完善“一带一路”国际合作机制。

“一带一路”这条承载各国人民希望的圆梦大道，正在发挥着促进互联互通、实现共同发展繁荣的重要作用，这条康庄大道越走越宽广。

胸怀天下，务实合作，我们共同奔向下一个金色十年，让发展成果更多更公平地惠及各国人民，为世界共同发展繁荣铺就合作之路、友谊之路、幸福之路，助力实现世界各国的现代化，共同推动构建人类命运共同体。

Executive Editor: Sonia YU

Editor: LI Yanxia

Host: Stephanie LI

Writer: Stephanie LI 

Sound Editor: Stephanie LI

Graphic Designer: ZHENG Wenjing, LIAO Yuanni

Produced by 21st Century Business Herald Dept. of Overseas News.

Presented by SFC

编委:  于晓娜

策划、编辑：李艳霞 

播音：李莹亮

撰稿：李莹亮

音频制作：李莹亮

设计：郑文静、廖苑妮

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