CHINA VIEW> Views> Detail

BRI Cooperation Benefits All Involved

2022-10-13 10:28·Science and Technology Daily
Share:
by Qi Liming

   Since the launch of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in 2013, the BRI has achieved tangible progress. With the goal of promoting the well-being of human society and achieving sustainable development goals, the BRI benefits the people of all participating countries.

Great undertaking benefiting all stakeholders

As Helsinki Times reported, the BRI raises living standards for people of participating countries. The Tana Beles sugar factory in Ethiopia has created tens of thousands of local jobs, farmers growing Chinese hybrid rice in Mozambique have embraced big harvests; and a series of training facilities has been built by China in Cambodia, Algeria and Djibouti to provide better career prospects for local workers.

Over the past nine years, livelihood projects under the BRI have brought clean drinking water, safe electricity, stable jobs and a happy life to more and more people in participating countries. As long as the countries continue their efforts, the BRI will be able to lift more people out of poverty and make global development more balanced.

According to a World Bank forecast, if all BRI transport infrastructure projects are carried out, by 2030, the BRI will generate 1.6 trillion USD in global revenue, or 1.3 percent of global GDP, and up to 90 percent of the revenue will go to partner countries.

Facts prove that the BRI is a road to common prosperity along with ensuring its developments become more environment-friendly and sustainable.

Green BRI driving low-carbon transition

On March 28, the Chinese government published a key policy document on the further greening of the Belt and Road Initiative, entitled Opinions on the Joint Implementation of Green Development in the Belt and Road Initiative (the Opinions).

According to ClientEarth, an environmental charity using the law to create powerful change that protects life on Earth, it is key that the points/policies in the Opinions are fully implemented. The charity said that though they have no legal weight and cannot be enforced in court, the document will be carefully read, and implemented, by all key stakeholders, including project developers and financial institutions. Further policies and regulation implemention are likely to follow.

Given the current turbulent geopolitical environment, it is very promising to see that China isn't backsliding on its efforts to green the BRI: rather, the Opinions further clarify China's green BRI ambitions and provide comprehensive policy directions for future areas of "green" overseas engagement.

With the world facing increasing pressure from climate change and biodiversity loss, this is extremely timely. As the main finance and trade partner in most of the developing countries along the BRI, China can play a key role in their green and low-carbon transition.

Sustainable mobility connecting the world

With the implementation of the BRI, the delivery time of goods from China to Europe has been significantly reduced. Currently, the average delivery time of container cargo by sea is 45-60 days, but it only takes about 10 days if goods from China to Europe are delivered by train.

According to Modern Diplomacy, analysts predict that all regular goods trains from China to Europe, via Eurasia, will be fully loaded in the coming years. It is estimated that the elasticity of demand for "convenience" (including speed, regularity and accuracy of delivery) in rail container transportation between China and Europe is 98 percent.

Data shows that Chinese investment in railway infrastructure has led to the railway becoming a viable alternative to both sea and air for trade between the Far East and Europe. It is expected that goods currently transported by sea and air (white shipping line) between Europe and China will switch to rail transport in the future, due to improved services provided by BRI.

As for the environmental challenges, this means that if maritime services lose their most time-sensitive cargo in favor of the railway, it will be able to sail more slowly in practice, increasing transit times, but reducing fuel costs and therefore prices, as well as reducing CO₂ emissions.