On June 28, at the invitation of the Belt and Road Institute in Sweden (BRIX), Ambassador Cui Aimin attended and delivered a speech at “The Belt and Road Initiative is the Road to International Development, Peace, and Security” Webinar. Mr. Stephen Brawer, Chairman of the BRIX, Mr. Hussein Askary, Vice-Chairman of the BRIX, Mr. Erik Solheim, former Norwegian Member of Parliament, former UN Under Secretary General and former Executive Director of the UN Environmental Program, Professor Chen Xiangming, Director of Urban Studies Program at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut (USA), ambassadors of Serbia, Belarus, Malaysia, Iraq and other countries to Sweden and representatives of Swedish business and academia attended the event.
In his speech, Ambassador Cui shared that since President Xi Jinping proposed the BRI in 2013, fruitful results have been achieved through joint hands and concerted efforts of China and other countries under the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits. Firstly, the BRI friend circle is getting bigger. China has signed over 200 cooperation agreements with 149 countries and 32 international organizations. Secondly, the record of the BRI has been impressive. Trade per year between China and other BRI countries has increased from USD 1.04 trillion to USD 1.8 trillion. China has accumulatively invested USD 161.3 billion in BRI countries. China’s investment in building economic cooperation zones in BRI countries has reached USD 43.08 billion, creating 346,000 local jobs. Thirdly, The BRI cooperation has bright prospects. To defeat the pandemic, China forged a Health Silk Road with hope to contribute to the global battle against the virus. To ride the wave of digitization, China proposed the Digital Silk Road to provide new momentum for the global economic growth. To expedite a low-carbon transition, China paved the Green Silk Road to facilitate a green global economic recovery post-pandemic. Ambassador Cui emphasized that the BRI not only brings real dividends to its participants, but also contributes wisdom and strength for the world to rise up to challenges, create opportunities and strengthen confidence. Thus, it has received warm and extensive support from the international community.
Ambassador Cui said that the BRI builds a platform and bridge for China-Sweden green cooperation. When China and Sweden join hands to deepen green cooperation, a lot can be achieved in reducing pollution and carbon emission as well as protection of biodiversity. Cooperation between China and Sweden may also create more opportunities for other BRI countries to develop their economy and for their respective strengths to complement each other, to achieve win-win results, so as to make contributions to the global sustainable development.
Ambassador Cui pointed out that our world today is living through accelerating changes unseen in a century and a still unchecked pandemic. They confront humanity with unprecedented challenges and ever pressing peace and security problems. In the face of such a complex international landscape, President Xi Jinping proposed the Global Development Initiative (GDI) last year, calling for building global development partnerships that feature unity, equality, balance and win-win cooperation, with an aim to implement the 2030 agenda for sustainable development, to facilitate global development that is more robust, green and healthy. Not long ago, President Xi Jinping proposed the Global Security Initiative (GSI), advocating a vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, which follows the philosophy that humanity is an indivisible security community, and aims to create a new path to security that features dialogue over confrontation, partnership over alliance and win-win over zero-sum, bringing more stability and positive energy to the world. Development is a timeless theme for humanity. Only through continuous development can people’s dream for a better life and social stability be realized. As the BRI becomes extensively implemented, the inter-connectivity and win-win practical cooperation enabled by the Initiative will deliver more benefits to economic growth and people’s well-being. It will contribute more to high quality economic development and shared prosperity, as well as world peace and stability.
Mr. Brawer, Mr. Solheim and other participants said that China's peaceful development benefits the whole world. The BRI promotes connectivity among countries and regions, trade, investment and infrastructure construction, thus bringing tangible benefits to all countries and making important contributions to international development and cooperation. It is indeed the road to international development, peace and security. The development of Sweden, Europe and even the world is closely bound up to the BRI. The United States and European countries should also step up cooperation with China to benefit more people around the world. Western countries should not create confrontation and conflict for their own selfish interests but take concrete actions and do something real for developing countries, just as China does.