The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has evolved from a Chinese initiative into an international action, with its various successful projects turning the grand vision into vivid reality.

Introduced in 2013, the BRI has played a crucial role in promoting a shared vision of peaceful development, win-win cooperation and mutual prosperity, said Thong Mengdavid, a lecturer at the Institute for International Studies and Public Policy of the Royal University of Phnom Penh.

New growth engine

"The BRI has become a new engine of global economic growth, injecting vigorous impetus into building a community with a shared future for mankind," said Kin Phea, director general of the International Relations Institute of Cambodia.

The China-Laos Railway, a flagship project under the BRI, has linked Kunming in southwest China's Yunnan province with Laotian capital Vientiane. Since it started operation in 2021, economic and trade cooperation between the two countries have deepened. In 2023, their bilateral trade reached 7.1 billion U.S. dollars, up 26.6 percent year on year.

"The Laos-China Railway has transformed Laos from a land-locked country into a land-linked country, and helped support our economic growth by stimulating new investment and providing greater market access for Lao products," said Daovone Phachanthavong, vice executive president of the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The China-Europe Railway Express, another flagship project under the BRI, has built a new platform for economic and trade cooperation along the route.

"The China-Europe freight train service has become a cornerstone of economic ties between China and Europe, providing essential support for industries requiring time-sensitive and reliable logistics," said Olaf Krueger, chairman of the International Rail Freight Business Association.

By constructing and improving infrastructure such as railways, roads, bridges and ports, the BRI is laying a solid foundation for global economic development.

William Jones, an American expert on international issues, said that by aligning development strategies and making progress in multiple areas, the BRI is leading the world toward economic integration and synergetic development.

Enormous potential

As part of the BRI cooperation effort, the Luban Workshop has helped many young people in partner countries achieve their career goals.

The Ethiopian Luban Workshop in Addis Ababa, established in 2021, has trained over 1,000 local teachers and students, a key achievement in China-Ethiopia vocational education cooperation.

In line with the needs of Kyrgyzstan's economic and social development, a Luban Workshop opened at the Kyrgyz State Technical University in Bishkek on October 26, 2024. Kyrgyz Energy Minister Taalaibek Ibraev called it an important step for Kyrgyzstan to strengthen educational infrastructure and train highly qualified specialists in key areas such as construction, water management, energy and mechanical engineering.

China's Juncao project has benefited more than 100 countries in such areas as poverty alleviation, desertification control and animal husbandry.

"The Juncao technology is applied in a way that makes it affordable for people at a very local level, which I believe is the key benefit," said Earle Courtenay Rattray, chef de cabinet to the United Nations Secretary-General.

Under the BRI, China has promoted and demonstrated agricultural technologies such as Juncao and growing hybrid rice in many countries, helping to reduce poverty in rural areas in Asia, Africa, the South Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean.

Cooperation for sustainable development

The BRI cooperation has brought wind, hydropower and photovoltaic power plants to partner countries, transforming natural resources into "green power" to promote sustainable development.

The South African Redstone 100 MW solar thermal power project undertaken by China, the first tower molten salt solar thermal power plant in the south of the Sahara Desert, was successfully connected to the grid in September 2024.

Nandu Bhula, CEO of the Redstone project, said South Africa-China cooperation in energy under the BRI has strengthened and benefited both sides.

In the process of jointly building the BRI, China gives great importance to ecological protection.

From jointly launching the Initiative for Belt and Road Partnership on Green Development with 31 countries, to implementing the Green Silk Road Envoys Program for training a large number of environmental and climate professionals for developing countries, China is committed to working with other countries to improve the BRI cooperation mechanism for green and sustainable development.