BRI to create substantial opportunities for Europe
By
Wang Yiwei
Chinese
President Xi Jinping published a signed article titled “East Meets West —— A New Chapter of Sino-Italian Friendship” on March 20 on
the leading Italian newspaper Corriere
della Sera ahead of his state visit to the European country.
In
the article, the Belt and Road and Marco Polo who is closely related to the
Silk Road, were frequently mentioned by the Chinese president.
China
hopes to work with Italy to advance the Belt and Road cooperation, the article
said. The two countries will harness their historical and cultural bonds forged
through the ancient Silk Road as well as their geographical locations to align
connectivity cooperation under the Belt
and Road Initiative with Italy’s plan to develop its northern ports and the
InvestItalia program, and jointly
build the Belt and Road of the new era on sea, on land, in the air, in space
and in the cultural domain.
Italian
Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said at a recent foreign policy seminar that
Italy is willing to join the co-construction of the Belt and Road, as it will
bring new opportunities to the country.
In
fact, the co-construction of the Belt and Road will create substantial
opportunities, not only for Italy, but also for the whole Europe.
It
will create opportunities for economic revival of Europe. Upon the proposal of
the BRI, the European Commission (EC) expressed its willingness to align the Juncker Plan, a 315-billion-euro
investment scheme to boost private investment in European infrastructure
projects, with the BRI.
The
EC reiterated its willingness in joining the BRI in a policy paper on
connectivity of the Eurasian continent it released last year.
Valuing
the opportunities to be provided by the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank,
the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and Switzerland have all joined the
organization. It is an effective measure for these European countries to
enhance the influence of the British pound, euro and Swiss franc.
In
addition, the co-construction of the BRI will create opportunities for Europe
to explore its unique advantages. Some European countries and cities have
already become connectivity gateways or pivots under the BRI. Some of them from
Eastern Europe are now the forerunners of Europe-Asia interconnectivity,
gaining extra competitiveness than their European peers.
Cities
such as Prague and Budapest have opened multiple air routes to China, becoming
regional aviation hubs. The China-Europe freight trains are also energizing the
logistics services and industries of countries and cities along the railways,
making central and eastern European countries a stronger bond linking China and
Europe.
The
BRI turned Balkan countries from a powder keg into an important pivot of
land-sea connectivity, and the Belgrade-Budapest railway is a great example. It
also turned Azerbaijan, which was depicted as a geopolitical pivot in Zbigniew
Brzezinski’s book The Grand Chessboard,
into a geo-economic pivot.
In
the BRI network of connectivity, even small countries can become regional and
global pivots, to promote connectivity in traditional aspects and soft connectivity
of systems, policies, rules and standards, and to create connectivity in more
new areas.
The
joint construction of the Belt and Road will further facilitate the China-EU
comprehensive strategic partnership. Based on the China-EU 2020 Strategic Agenda
for Cooperation, China and the EU are negotiating on a bilateral investment
pact, and going through feasibility research of an EU-China free trade
agreement.
The
BRI will provide greater energy for these efforts, and also promote the
development of China-EU partnership of peace, growth, reform and civilization.
Currently,
CHINA RAILWAY Express have made 14,000 trips between China and 49 cities in 15
European countries, linking countries together for shared development and
building a new type of partnership featuring cooperation and win-win results.
The
joint construction of the Belt and Road offers the EU an easier access to the
participation of Asia-Pacific affairs.
The
BRI brings Europe and Asia closer to each other through land- and sea-based transport
links, allows Europe to take part in Asia-Pacific affairs more conveniently,
increases the EU’s capability to grasp the development opportunities of the
Asia-Pacific region, and expands EU’s influence in the region.
The
BRI is valued by European countries. So far, 16 central and eastern European
countries have signed intergovernmental memoranda of understanding on Belt and
Road cooperation with China under the framework of China-central and eastern
European countries cooperation. Greece, Portugal and Malta have also joined the
BRI “circle of friends”.
The
joining of these countries indicates the dividends generated by the BRI and the
initiative’s rising popularity in Europe.
It
is believed that the BRI will become a buzzword during President Xi Jinping’s
upcoming state visits to Italy, Monaco and France.
(Wang
Yiwei is a Jean Monnet Chair Professor of the European Union, and a senior
researcher at Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of
China)
(Source:
People’s Daily Overseas Edition)
BRI to create substantial opportunities for Europe
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