Preface

On September 7, 2013, President Xi Jinping delivered a speech in the auditorium of Nazarbayev University, Kazakhstan – his first public speech in Central Asia since assuming office. It was there that he proposed the initiative of the Silk Road Economic Belt. On October 3, President Xi addressed the Indonesian parliament in Jakarta, against a background of luxuriant coconut palms, and gave a profound exposition of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. Thus, the Belt and Road found their way into the global arena.

The Belt and Road Initiative is a grand blueprint for the renewal of the Silk Road spirit, embracing the trend of the times towards peace, development, cooperation, and win-win outcomes. Advocating policy coordination, facilities connectivity, unimpeded trade, financial integration, and people-to-people bonds, the initiative constitutes a magnificent scroll that depicts mutual support and friendly cooperation among various countries. Through the exchange of needed goods, complementation of advantages, sharing of opportunities, and joint efforts to address challenges, these countries have achieved a consensus on the Silk Road as a medium for common development and prosperity.

Policy coordination provides an important guarantee for implementing the Belt and Road Initiative. Since President Xi Jinping’s visit to Kazakhstan in September 2013, China has successfully cooperated with more and more countries and regions in building the Belt and Road. As a result, new consensuses on cooperation have been achieved through continuously deepened win-win cooperation and enhanced mutual political trust.

On March 28, 2015, the National Development and Reform Commission, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China jointly published the Vision and Actions on Jointly Building the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road (hereinafter referred to as the Vision and Actions), which clearly defines the contents of “policy coordination.” It states: “Enhancing policy coordination is an important guarantee for implementing the Initiative. We should promote intergovernmental cooperation, build a multilevel intergovernmental macro policy exchange and communications mechanism, expand shared interests, enhance mutual political trust, and reach a new cooperation consensus. Countries along the Belt and Road may fully coordinate their economic development strategies and policies, work out plans and measures for regional cooperation, solve cooperation-related issues through negotiation, and jointly provide policy support for the implementation of practical cooperation and large-scale projects.”

At this important historical stage of global development, the Chinese leader proposed the Belt and Road Initiative to address openly and inclusively the major problems relating to the future of humankind, and the building of a community of shared future. China’s aspirations bear its best wishes and vision for the future of humankind, showcasing the country’s unremitting exploration and pursuit in conjunction with the international community.