FOUNDATIONS OF THE ROA D

By+Fang+Zhenghui

President Xi Jinpings keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation on May 14 offers a profound view on the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road （Belt and Road） Initiative from the perspectives of history and reality， and vision and action， as well as involving mind and matter. It is undoubtedly full of inspiration and power.

The speech demonstrates the power of conviction， the kernel of the Silk Road spirit of peace and cooperation， openness and inclusiveness， mutual learning， and mutual benefi t. Throughout history， our forefathers kept moving forward regardless of facing billowing waves， rugged mountains and endless deserts. With the same conviction to which they steadfastly adhered in building a road of peace， prosperity， openness， innovation and civilization， we have taken solid steps to implement the Belt and Road Initiative and achieved significant achievements over the past four years. Both history and reality show that， with common conviction， we can develop a shared vision and forge strong synergy.

The speech emphasizes the power of culture in the pursuit of the Belt and Road Initiative. Culture builds bridges of mutual understanding between the peoples of different countries. No matter how diverse the cultures， they share common features. The Silk Road spirit encompasses not only cultural integration drawn from our history， but also peoples aspiration for cultural exchanges today， spurring us to pursue the initiative.

The speech presents Chinas image as a responsible major country and displays the power of responsibility. China has made great efforts to enhance policy consultation， trade promotion， infrastructure connectivity， fi nancial cooperation and people-to-people exchanges among countries along the Belt and Road routes since the initiative was proposed. At the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation， President Xi introduced new programs to further implement the initiative. This consolidates Chinas image as a responsible major country， translating vision into action， and initiatives into commitments； this， in turn， bolsters the confi dence of the countries involved and the international community in general in promoting the initiative.