Belt and Road principles contribute to global economic governance

Updated: September 26, 2017 Source: Belt and Road Portal
fontLarger fontSmaller

The 71st United Nations General Assembly held in mid-September includes the principles of "extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits" in the concepts of global economic governance.

This is China's contribution to the global governance concept, and indicates the international community increasingly recognizes the global governance concepts proposed by China that win-win cooperation should be the core of the new type of international relations, and the countries should work together to build a human community with a shared destiny.

The principles are central to the Belt and Road Initiative that President Xi Jinping proposed in 2013. Over the past four years, more than 100 countries and international organizations support or take part in the implementation of the Initiative. The UN General Assembly and UN Security Council have also included the Belt and Road Initiative into their resolutions. 

The implementation of the Initiative promotes the rational allocation of economic factors and the bridging of development gaps among countries, and stabilizes the world economic recovery. It is increasingly an international consensus that the Initiative is the most popular public product nowadays, and is a comprehensive solution to address the deficits of peace, development and governance.

China's contribution to the world economy exists not only in the conceptual realm, but also in practice. Since the 2008 international financial crisis, China, thanks to its economic restructuring and reform, has been a robust engine leading the recovery of the world economy. According to the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, China’s average contribution rate to world economic growth from 2013 to 2016 is 31.6 percent, surpassing that of the United States, European Union and Japan combined.

In the first half of this year, China's economy grew at 6.9 percent. The world second-largest economy, China, with its stable growth, has become ballast for the world economy.

China distinguishes itself in trade, investment and tourism, becoming a leader in resisting the anti-globalization trend. Data from the World Trade Organization indicates China’s export hit US$2.1 trillion, and imports US$1.6 trillion, last year, making it the world's largest freight exporter and the world’s second-largest importer for eight consecutive years.

China's freight trade accounts for 11.5 percent of the world total, and its service trade takes 6.9 percent of the world total, second only to the United States. China gives full play to its strengths in e-commerce and internet finance to explore new impetus for world economic growth through cooperating with other countries in the fields of digital economy and intelligent manufacturing.

According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, China's foreign bound investment reached US$183 billion last year, up 44 percent year-on-year, making it the world's second-largest investor. Last year, China attracted US$126 billion in foreign direct investment, the world third-largest investment destination for five years continuously. In 2015, Chinese tourists made 120 million trips abroad, spending US$104.5 billion, up 12 percent and 16.7 percent respectively year-on-year.

China makes good use of the platforms of the G20 and BRICS to promote cooperation and the common development of the world, especially the emerging economies and the developing countries.

The establishment of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, New Development Bank of BRICS, Shanghai Cooperation Organization Bank and Silk Road Fund provides institutional guarantees for the bettering of global governance. 

Editor: zhangjunmian