BRI Core Principles: Broad Consultation, Joint Contribution and Shared Benefits

In September and October 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping successively proposed the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, or the “Belt and Road” initiative (BRI), which has evoked memories of the countries and regions along the route and opened up a brand-new chapter of international cooperation.

The BRI is based on the principle of “broad consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits” as it advocates the concept of win-win cooperation and commitment to the greater good and shared interests, and upholds the belief that all countries are equal participants, contributors and beneficiaries in economic integration and common development. Principles of the BRI have been incorporated into important documents of international organizations and mechanisms, such as the United Nations and the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.

This aerial photo taken on Sept. 10, 2023 shows the headquarters building of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The China-aided Africa CDC (Phase I) project was completed in January 2023, which is the first all-African CDC on the African continent with modern office and laboratory conditions and complete facilities. (Xinhua/Wang Guansen)

The principle of consultation means advocating and practicing genuine multilateralism, insisting that common challenges be handled by all humanity, respecting the differences in development levels, economic structures, legal systems and cultural traditions of various countries, emphasizing equal participation, communication and consultation, pooling ideas together without any political or economic conditions, and maximizing consensus on a voluntary basis.

The principle of co-construction means participation by all parties, aligning with the development strategies of the countries and regions concerned, exploring the development potentials and advantages of all parties, and creating new opportunities, injecting new impetus into and expanding new space for development so as to achieve complementarity and interconnected development.

The principle of sharing highlights mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, seeking the convergence of interests and the broadest common ground for cooperation among all parties, meeting the development needs of all parties and to respond to the real aspirations of the people, and sharing development opportunities among all parties to ensure that no country is left behind.

This photo taken on Sept. 20, 2022 shows the Doraleh Multi-Purpose Port, constructed by China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC), in Djibouti City, capital of Djibouti. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui)

The BRI will firmly uphold the authority and status of the United Nations, strengthen the status and effectiveness of multilateral governance platforms such as the World Trade Organization, and inject strong impetus into the existing governance mechanisms. The BRI has rolled out the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank to enhance global governance, and boost cooperation in the fields of deep sea, polar regions and outer space exploration, as well as cyberspace and artificial intelligence with a view to expanding multilateralism.

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