China has proposed four initiatives to strengthen international cooperation and create new drivers of shared international development, embodying the country's efforts to promote democratization of international relations.
One is the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) proposed in 2013 to build policy, infrastructure, trade, financial, people-to-people connectivities between continents. It is composed of two major programs – the "Belt" (overland routes) and the "Road" (sea routes).
By early January 2023, China had signed more than 200 cooperation documents on the joint construction of the Belt and Road with 151 countries and regions and 32 international organizations. BRI countries account for 65 percent of the world's population and 40 percent of global GDP.
The annual trade volume between China and BRI countries has increased 73 percent from $1.04 trillion in 2013 to $1.8 trillion in 2021, with an average annual growth rate of 8.6 percent. The share of China's non-financial direct investment in BRI countries has risen 5.4 percentage points from 12.5 percent in 2013 to 17.9 percent in 2021.
China-Europe freight trains ran along 82 transportation routes and had reached 24 countries and regions and 204 cities in Europe up to October 2022. And as of September 2022, the Maritime Silk Road encompassed 94 shipping routes along 31 countries and regions and 108 ports.
China has invested $43.08 billion in economic and trade cooperation parks along the Belt and Road, creating 346,000 local jobs by the end of 2021.
The initiative is expected to help 7.6 million people around the world to get out of extreme poverty and 32 million people out of moderate poverty, according to the World Bank.
The initiatives also include the Global Development Initiative (GDI) proposed in 2021 and the Global Security Initiative (GSI) proposed in 2022. They aim to place global development first and eliminate the root causes of international conflict.
The GDI and the GSI have received the support of over 100 countries and regions and many international organizations, including the United Nations, by the end of February. Nearly 70 countries and regions have joined the Group of Friends of the GDI.
In 2023, China proposed the Global Civilization Initiative, which calls for respecting the diversity of civilizations, advocating the common values of humanity, valuing the inheritance and innovation of civilizations, and strengthening international people-to-people exchanges and cooperation.
Data editor: Yao Nian
Graphics designer: Mukesh Mohanan