BEIJING, May 13 (Xinhua) -- As the curtain rises on the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation and the eyes of the world turn to Beijing, the naysayers circle like buzzards.
There is no shortage of fearmongers ready to throw cold water on the plan. Is the Belt and Road (B&R) really "the most important public goods China has provided to the world" as Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi declares, or is it just good old-fashioned Western-style hegemony with Chinese characteristics?
Critics exaggerate fears raised in some countries and choose to highlight the difficulties some projects have encountered. Pessimism sells more newspapers and draws more clicks than stories of success.
At a Senate hearing on global threats Thursday, U.S. national intelligence director Dan Coats identified the Silk Road initiative as "aggressive," as quoted by AP. "They clearly have a strategy," said Coats.
Strategy? Of course. Aggressive? Everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion, but only the fearful see a threat where none is intended.
The hegemony concern is groundless and unnecessary. China opposes hegemony and has said so countless times. China harbors no intention to control or threaten any other nation. China needs no puppet states. China does not indulge in "regime change" either regionally or globally and is not about to begin to do so.
The new Silk Road plan is not and will never be neocolonialism by stealth. Nor will China use the success of the initiative to undermine the influence of others and jeopardize the regional stability upon which the nation's astonishing successes have been built.
Now and in the future, seeking spheres of political influence is not on the agenda of China, which treats all countries, big or small, as equals. China's watchwords in diplomacy are "mutual respect" and "non-inference" in the domestic affairs of other countries.
Focusing on connectivity, the B&R initiative prioritizes infrastructure, the number one requirement of so many countries struggling for development. Industrial cooperation, through extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, will remain a pipe dream without the infrastructure to transport goods and raw materials, without the power supply to drive production, and without basic improvements to the lives of those people most in need.
The word "initiative" is key. The building of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road must be a joint project. This is an open and inclusive plan rather than a selfish strategy to serve China's own interests at the expense of others. "Initiative" means taking the lead; getting the ball rolling. China has kicked off the initiative, and it is now up to others to play the game.
As China assumes its responsibilities as the world's second largest economy, it is only right and proper that the nation should propose sustainable development with others in an era of irreversible globalization.
The new Silk Road plan is all aboveboard. It is exactly what it appears to be: a win-win paradigm for all participants. That's why China earnestly welcomes all countries to join in, to build a community of shared future for mankind. A community of shared future is not just an empty idea, it is a fact of nature. The destinies of nations across the world are intertwined and interdependent. We can all pull together, or we can pull ourselves apart.
Those who hesitate, possibly wary of China's rise, should abandon their qualms and lose no time to share the great opportunity. Join the expanding circle of friends of the initiative. Nepal, the latest country to be welcomed into the fold, inked its cooperation agreement with China on Friday.
The B&R initiative is a fresh and energizing force to fix the world at a time when the world is greatly in need of fixing. The weaknesses and flaws in an old-style global economy are obvious to all as the world struggles to recover from crisis after crisis and meltdown after meltdown. Developing countries have a right to sustainable growth. If they want globalization, then globalization they shall have.
As China rises toward national rejuvenation and its economy undergoes structural changes, the B&R initiative brings enormous potential for cooperation between China and countries along the routes. Growth for one can mean growth for all.
The forum comes at the proper time, a time when fears must be dismissed, when leaders and delegates must build consensus and plan for a shared future.
The Belt and Road forum is not an occasion to assert a new hegemony, but an opportunity to bring an old one to an end.?
評論：中國“一帶一路”倡議是披著外衣的霸權(quán)主義？
新華社北京５月１３日電 伴隨“一帶一路”國際合作高峰論壇的啟幕，全球目光轉(zhuǎn)向北京，那些愛唱反調(diào)的人士猶如禿鷹一般聚攏過來。
不乏對這一計劃潑冷水的恐懼散布者?！耙粠б宦贰闭嫒缰袊饨徊块L王毅所說是“中國給世界提供的最重要公共產(chǎn)品”，還是帶有中國特色的老式西方霸權(quán)？
批判者夸大了在一些國家引起的擔憂，強調(diào)了某些項目遇到的困難。悲觀主義總能比成功的故事賣出更多報紙，吸引更多點擊。
美聯(lián)社報道說，星期四舉行的參議院關(guān)于全球威脅的聽證會上，美國國家情報總監(jiān)丹·科茨稱絲綢之路倡議“咄咄逼人”?！八麄兠黠@有一個戰(zhàn)略。” 科茨說。
戰(zhàn)略？當然。咄咄逼人？每個人有權(quán)發(fā)表自己的見解，但是，唯有膽怯者才在本來就沒有威脅的地方看到威脅。
霸權(quán)的擔憂沒有根據(jù)，也沒有必要。中國反對霸權(quán)，并且已經(jīng)反復(fù)說過這一點。中國不想控制或者威脅任何其他國家。中國不需要傀儡國家。中國不會參與地區(qū)或全球范圍的“政權(quán)更迭”，也沒有打算要開始這么做。
這一新的絲綢之路計劃現(xiàn)在不是，將來也絕不會是隱蔽的新殖民主義。中國不會用倡議的成功來損害別人的影響力，來威脅中國驚人發(fā)展奇跡所依賴的地區(qū)穩(wěn)定。
現(xiàn)在和將來，謀求勢力范圍都不是中國的議程。中國平等對待所有國家，無論大小。中國外交的關(guān)鍵詞是“互相尊重”、不干涉他國內(nèi)政。
“一帶一路”倡議重點是互聯(lián)互通，優(yōu)先基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施領(lǐng)域，這正是許多國家致力于發(fā)展的首要條件。在共商、共建和共享原則下，沒有運輸貨物和原料的基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施，沒有推動生產(chǎn)的電力供應(yīng)，沒有最需要的人們的生活基本改善，產(chǎn)業(yè)合作將無法實現(xiàn)。
?“倡議”一詞是關(guān)鍵。建設(shè)絲綢之路經(jīng)濟帶和２１世紀海上絲綢之路必須是一個共同的項目。這是一個包容、開放的計劃，而不是服務(wù)中國利益、損害他人利益的自私戰(zhàn)略。“倡議”意味著牽頭，讓行動繼續(xù)。中國提出了倡議，現(xiàn)在需要和別人一起推進。
作為全球第二大經(jīng)濟體，中國履行自己的責任。在不可逆轉(zhuǎn)的全球化時代，中國與世界一起推動可持續(xù)發(fā)展是合理而且正當?shù)氖虑椤?/p>
這一新的絲路計劃完全光明正大。如它看起來的那樣，倡議對所有參與者都是雙贏的。因此，中國真誠歡迎所有國家加入，來建設(shè)人類命運共同體。命運共同體不是空談，是自然的事實。世界各國命運相互交織、相互依賴。我們可以齊心協(xié)力，也可以分裂掣肘。
那些可能警惕中國崛起的猶豫者，應(yīng)該放棄憂慮，不失時機地參與這一偉大機遇。加入倡議不斷擴大的朋友圈。星期五，尼泊爾與中國簽署合作協(xié)議，成為最新加入“一帶一路”的國家。
“一帶一路”倡議是改善全球治理的一股新鮮力量，當今世界非常需要改進治理。舊世界經(jīng)濟體系的弱點和缺陷顯而易見，世界努力從一個個危機中走出。發(fā)展中國家需要可持續(xù)的增長。如果他們需要全球化，他們將擁有全球化。
中國正在崛起，走向民族復(fù)興。中國經(jīng)濟經(jīng)歷結(jié)構(gòu)性轉(zhuǎn)型。“一帶一路”倡議給中國和沿線國家合作帶來巨大的潛力。一個國家的增長可能意味著所有國家的增長。
舉行論壇恰逢其時。一些擔憂需要消除。各國領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人和代表需要凝聚共識，規(guī)劃共同的未來。
“一帶一路”論壇不是宣稱新霸權(quán)的場合，而是結(jié)束舊霸權(quán)的機會。
