A Thousand Readers, A Thousand Hamlets: A Chinese Scholar’s Response to the Ten Hot Issues about the Belt & Road Initiative

A Thousand Readers, A Thousand Hamlets: A Chinese Scholar’s Response to the Ten Hot Issues about the Belt & Road Initiative Wang Yiwei. (2020). Response: Ten Voices on the “Belt and Road Initiative”. Tianjin: Tianjin People’s Publishing House.

SINCE 2013, THE BELT AND ROAD Studies and National Academy of Development

Initiative (BRI) has become a pressing concern and Strategy at the Renmin University of China,

for the international community. The BRI is an has systematically responded to various questi-

international cooperation initiative put forward ons from the Chinese people, Western countries,

by China in response to major changes and new and countries along the BRI in his book, Respon-

challenges unique to the present. There have been se: Ten Voices on the “Belt and Road Initiative”

multiple voices doubting, misunderstanding, and (2020). The book examines what the initiative is,

criticizing the initiative from home and abroad. In its purpose, and how to promote it.

response to this, Professor Wang Yiwei, who co-

mes from the Chongyang Institute for Financial In chapter 1, the author questions whether the

BRI should spend its money on foreign invest-

* Li Ning is a master’s candidate majoring in World History in the College of Liberal Arts at Shanghai University. Her research fields include

Turkish modernization and Kemal’s reforms in Turkish rural areas, such as the Turkish Ocak, the People’s Houses, and the Village Institutes. Email: enya510124@163.com ORCID: 0000-0002-8886-3876

86 How to cite: Li, N. (2021/2022). A Thousand Readers, A Thousand Hamlets: A Chinese Scholar’s Response

to the Ten Hot Issues about the Belt & Road Initiative. [Review of the book “Response: Ten Voices on the “Belt and Road Initiative” by Wang, Y.] Belt and Road Initiative Quarterly, 3(1), 86-89.

ment. For some Chinese people, the domestic Second, the BRI is not like the Marshall Plan, whi-

economy is facing downward pressure and needs ch combined economic with military expansion,

investment, so why should China turn outwards? but an opportunity to reach international public

According to Prof. Wang, the initiative is desig- goods, provided by China, for the countries along

ned to tackle two major domestic problems: the the route. Third, this initiative is not a political

country’s unsustainable development model and initiative but an economic initiative. Therefore,

the effects of globalization. Consequently, Chi- private enterprises should become the mainstay of

na’s development has transformed from a model the BRI instead of state-owned enterprises. Both

relying on export and foreign direct investment parties and participating companies must obtain

to a model of investment and innovation with a benefits.

long-term aim of building inclusive globalization The third question of chapter 1 discusses “how to fight against protectionism. Only in this way to avoid risks in the construction of the BRI”. As can China break the containment of some Wes- Prof. Wang argues, the BRI is composed of “five tern countries. Therefore, investing in infrastruccommunications”, namely policy connectivity,

ture, energy, ports, and people’s livelihood proje- infrastructure connectivity, trade connectivity, fi-

cts contributing to improvement of their national nance connectivity, and people connectivity - each

economy along the BRI countries will help stren- will face risks. Geographical risks threaten policy

gthen the strategic economic dependence of these communication. Infrastructure connectivity nee-

countries, form a community of common destiny, ds to deal with security risks. Trade and finance

and reduce dependence on the West. connectivities are affected by economic and legal

risks. If people’s hearts cannot be connected, the BRI can be morally trapped. The BRI is composed of “five The biggest risk does come from developed

communications”, namely policy countries and their specific issues of debt, stan-

connectivity, infrastructure dards, geopolitics, and transparency. These doubts

connectivity, trade connectivity, reflect the distrust of the Chinese model in develo-

finance connectivity, and people ped countries. In this regard, China must open up

connectivity - each will face risks. to the world, for only when the BRI has achieved

results and the countries along the route exemplify this development will Western doubts truly disap- Chapter 1 continues by questioning whether pear. this initiative is an over-expanding project. Prof.

Wang demonstrates how it is not from three pers- Chapter 2 addresses the fourth question of

pectives. First, from the perspective of supply and whether the BRI is like the “Marshall Plan”. Prof.

demand, BRI construction addresses China’s over- Wang acknowledges that there are similarities

capacity, the co-construction of China’s high-qua- between the two projects in promoting economic

lity and surplus production capacity, and the need development, strengthening exchanges and coo-

for co-construction in the country’s development. peration between regional countries, and enhan-

cing the regional influence of the initiator count- export its model. The top priority is development

ries, but the former is fundamentally different rather than rules, and development is the key to

from the latter. First, the Marshall Plan, with its solving the problems of participating countries

Cold War background and ideological color, was along the BRI.

part of the US’s aspiration for global hegemony, while the BRI is the outcome of China’s all-around

opening-up. Second, the former takes camp and The BRI brings together the four

ideology as the criterion of participation, while the major civilizations of humankind:

latter takes inclusiveness and openness. However, Egyptian civilization, Babylonian

Prof. Wang also suggests that the BRI can learn civilization, Indian civilization, and

from the Marshall Plan regarding its implementa- Chinese civilization.

tion and publicity.

The fifth question discusses whether there is a The Chapter 2 also seeks an answer for the se-

debt crisis in the “Belt and Road” construction. venth question about whether the BRI is China’s

Prof. Wang does not agree with the statement that version of the World Trade Organization (WTO)?

China is pursuing a “debt diplomacy” through the Prof. Wang believes that this initiative promotes a

BRI. First, Western countries focus on this topic new type of globalization, having its own charac-

to frame other countries. They have done this be- teristics. The BRI brings together the four major

fore, so it is inferred that China will do the same. civilizations of humankind: Egyptian civilization,

Second, from the perspective of debt background Babylonian civilization, Indian civilization, and

or debt structure, China is not the largest creditor Chinese civilization. Thus, the logic of the com-

of developing countries, and the so-called “debt mon rejuvenation of civilizations surpasses the

crisis” in the construction of the “Belt and Road” logic of modern competition. The BRI creates a

is nothing but alarmist talk. Third, the BRI is “ra- civilized order with civilized countries as the ba-

ising chickens and laying eggs” rather than “kil- sic unit, by this means, international politic leaps

ling the hen for her eggs”, in that China advocates from geopolitics, geoeconomics to geo-civilizati-

international cooperation to solve the debt crisis. on. From a broad perspective, the Belt and Road

Initiative has largely helped landlocked countries The Chapter 2 handles the sixth question, access the sea to realize land and sea connectivity. whether the BRI is challenging international rules Similarly, it should fit with the local customs and and the mechanism of the BRI is open and transreligions and take root in a way that the local pe-

parent. And this initiative is rule-oriented or de- ople want.

velopment-oriented. These are typical questions

from the West after the initiative was put forward. Chapter 3 addresses the eighth question, does

Prof. Wang believes that “China will not and the “Belt and Road” construction damage the en-

need not start over and overthrow Western rules” vironment? In fact, China has the most complex

(p100). China owns a culture of learning, not one ecological environment and the highest popula-

of transmission, meaning China will likely not tion density. Relying on its superior application

capabilities, China has cultivated the world’s most The tenth question examines whether the cons-

competitive green, low-carbon technology and truction of the “Belt and Road” creates a strategic

sustainable development model. It is in the process dependency on China. The BRI aspires to create

of sharing the modernization experience. Therefo- “a road of peace”, “a road of prosperity”, “a road of

re, on the issue of development sustainability, the openness”, and so on. It aims to gradually elimina-

author calls on all countries to believe in China te the world’s three major deficits: peace, develop-

with the courage of “the duck” that “witnesses the ment, and governance. It also emphasizes strategic

warmth of the river first in the spring” and actively docking and interconnection. Its purpose is to eli-

participate in the construction of BRI. minate the barriers caused by geopolitics, elimina-

te the pain caused by colonial divide and rule, and finally realize people-to-people bonds. The author has provided In general, the book successfully condenses convincing answers, which questions about the BRI in China and the world allows not only foreign readers today. Based on years of international relations to understand a real BRI but also research and experience in more than fifty countallows many Chinese readers to ries, the author has provided convincing answers have a deeper understanding to these questions, which allows not only foreign of this initiative, China’s readers to understand a real “Belt and Road Inidevelopment model, and China’s tiative” but also allows many Chinese readers to globalization propositions. have a deeper understanding of this initiative, China’s development model, and China’s globalization

The chapter continues with the ninth question, propositions.

does “Belt and Road” construction lead to differen-

tiation? Prof. Wang cites the cooperation between However, the book also has certain flaws. For

China and Latin America as an example. He po- example, when the author outlines reasons for qu-

ints out that China’s BRI is in line with the needs of estioning the BRI, he always emphasizes the factors

Latin American countries to respond to the midd- of international interest disputes, national strategic

le-income trap. Through the new industrialization layout, and ideological orientation. We cannot

road, correcting the Western colonial system, inc- deny the misunderstandings brought about by the

reasing horizontal interconnection, complemen- above factors, but what is more noteworthy is that

ting the shortcomings of infrastructure, guiding race, ethnicity, and religion in BRI countries are

the flow of hot money to the real economy, curing also important considerations. These factors relate

the chronic diseases of neoliberal globalization, to people-to-people bonds and should, therefore,

and eliminating the root causes of the global finanbe the starting point for China to respond to and cial crisis, Latin America is actively co-construcresolve the voices that question the “Belt and Road ting the BRI, and development has been achieved. Initiative”. Therefore, this case shows that the BRI will not lead to differentiation.