On the afternoon of June 7, China Development Research Foundation and China Foreign Contractors Engineering Association jointly published the “Belt and Road” International Infrastructure Cooperation White Paper: Making Development Accessible” at the 9th International Forum on Infrastructure Investment and Construction in Macau. (Hereinafter referred to as "White Paper.") The "White Paper" is based on a study of the same name jointly conducted by the two organizations. In the past two years, the Joint Task Force has investigated 9 countries along the 'Belt and Road' and other countries, and more than 80 Chinese and foreign companies. More than 20 international institutions and think-tank institutions held discussions and conducted an on-site inspection of nearly 20 infrastructure projects under construction in the “One Belt and One Road” area of Chinese enterprises. Caterpillar, an international leading construction machinery company, supported the study.
Infrastructure is a priority area of the 'Belt and Road' development cooperation. The White Paper reviews the 'Belt and Development' theme and reviews the status and trends of the national infrastructure development along the route proposed by the 'One Belt and One Road' initiative over the past five years. Infrastructure cooperation in relevant countries.
The “White Paper” analyzes the competitiveness of infrastructure facilities along the country. Among the 56 data-based economies, the infrastructure competitiveness of 25 economies has continued to rise or fall in the past 6 years. There are 15 economies. Infrastructure competitiveness has remained stable. The analysis shows that China’s infrastructure competitiveness ranks among highly competitive groups in the world, with particularly obvious advantages in the transportation sector, with a score of 5.1 points (an average score of 3.78 points along the line of the economy), showing huge The complementary advantages of the advantages. The “Belt and Road” National Infrastructure Development Index issued by China Foreign Contractors Engineering Association also showed that the national infrastructure development index along the line has reached the peak in the past 10 years, showing a good momentum of development.
Since China released the “Belt and Road” Vision and Action in 2015, the infrastructure cooperation between China and the countries along the route has entered the fast lane. In 2017, the amount of engineering contracts contracted by Chinese companies reached USD 144.32 billion, which is higher than 2015. Year-on-year growth of 55.8%; completed sales of 85.53 billion US dollars, an increase of 23.5% over 2015.
The "White Paper" pointed out that the 'Belt and Road' infrastructure cooperation has been fully reflected in the principle of 'Commonizing, Co-building, and Sharing'. The infrastructure projects including the Inner Mongolia Railway have played a supporting role in the economic and social development of the host country. It shows that the project construction has also led to local employment. Many infrastructure projects have reached 30-60% of the local labor force. The construction of industrial parks has also enhanced the local industrialization capabilities and has cultivated industrial workers and corporate management teams. In addition, including the United States, International companies including Japan, Europe, and other countries also participate in the value chain of infrastructure in many ways and share the opportunities for infrastructure cooperation. The White Paper also states that Chinese companies start relatively late in the field of social responsibility, but they learn quickly. Many companies actively implement social responsibility in the areas of construction quality, labor rights, environmental protection, and community development, from unconscious to conscious, from passive to active.
The White Paper also responds to some misunderstandings and focus issues in the international community on the 'Belt and Road Initiative' and infrastructure cooperation in recent years. The 'Belt and Road' initiative is essentially a development-oriented cooperation framework, rather than a geopolitical strategy or plan. The real development needs in various countries are characterized by openness, flexibility, market-based, and gradual development. In terms of infrastructure cooperation, China's engineering contracting companies have generally obtained good and steady economic returns, and have also further improved their international operating capabilities. It has achieved a “win-win” relationship with the host society. China’s status as a developing country and its long-standing foreign aid in developing countries have also laid a foundation of trust for many cooperation. Among the state-owned enterprises in China, foreign engineering contracting companies were the first Gaining international experience, coupled with natural monopoly and public attributes in the infrastructure sector, allows these companies to have strong competitiveness in the region along the route. The White Paper states that most infrastructure projects and project loans are robust, but the host countries also The capacity can depend on more factors, including the host country’s own Structural and cyclical impact of international economic and other parties need to work together to control potential risks.
The White Paper believes that there are also many challenges in the infrastructure cooperation of the 'Belt and Road.' Infrastructure development needs to be embedded in the economic and social development of a country. For many host countries, the importance of infrastructure in economic and social development Often underestimated, it is difficult to form stable policy consensus and take firm action. Both the public and private sectors lack the capacity to support investment, manage and operate large-scale infrastructure projects. The international development cooperation system also has shortcomings and it is difficult to mobilize enough. Resources to support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and broader infrastructure investment in developing countries. For many Chinese companies, there are also misunderstandings about the 'Belt and Road', and some companies that are new to the sea lack laws on host countries. The understanding and compliance of laws and regulations, and the lack of professional and systematic performance of corporate social responsibility. In addition, most infrastructure projects lack scientific economic, social and environmental impact assessments, which also affects the good communication between the government, enterprises and society.
The "White Paper" pointed out that the collective rise of developing countries, including China, has promoted the transformation of the "minority modernization" of the world since the industrial revolution to the "modernization of the majority". The 'Belt and Road' initiative will be this history. The transformation of nature provides the impetus. China’s development is essentially part of the global modernization process. China’s roads are unique but no exception. Understanding this point is very important for building the trust infrastructure under the “One Belt and One Road” infrastructure and other cooperation. All the way to the infrastructure cooperation is stable and long-term. All parties must have historical reason and historic patience. China and other countries need to strengthen strategic communication and find a foothold for cooperation based on their own national conditions. The government, enterprises, and social sectors need to strengthen coordination. Cooperative projects carry out reliable impact assessment, innovative cooperation mechanisms, perfect investment and financing models, and expand interest communities.
At the press conference, the team leader of the Research Group and the chairman of the China Foreign Contractors Association Chamber of Commerce, Fang Qichen, said that the core connotation of the 'build along the Belt and Road Initiative' is to promote infrastructure construction and interoperability. International infrastructure cooperation will not only help In order to promote economic and trade exchanges between countries along the route, cultural exchanges and public sentiment have also given rise to new impetus for the development of China's foreign contracted engineering industry. As a national organization of foreign economic cooperation industry, the contractor will base on its own functions to reflect the company’s appeal to the government. , Promoting industry self-discipline and setting up service platforms, etc., Has always been committed to promoting member companies to participate in the 'Belt and Road' infrastructure cooperation.'
Caterpillar Vice President, Mr. Chen Qihua, Chairman of Caterpillar (China) Investment Co., Ltd. believes that the 'One Belt and One Road' initiative will promote the interconnection and interoperability of infrastructure construction along the country and promote a new round of economic prosperity. Caterpillar has a wealth of The global operation experience and the perfect global operation system are not only the collaborators of the initiative, but also the participants in the economic development of the countries and regions along the route. They are also the solid partners of the “Belt and Road” constructors. Caterpillar is very willing to work alongside The project partners share the global business model, management philosophy, and experience in corporate culture innovation and risk management. They are committed to providing world-leading contractors with world-leading intelligent products and solutions for the 'One Belt and One Road' project operations. Increased efficiency and sustainable development provide more product support and technical support.
Assistant Secretary-General of the China Development Research Foundation and Yu Jiantuo, author of the White Paper, said that the “Belt and Road Initiative” proposed that five years ago, various types of cooperation, including infrastructure, flourish and the results exceeded expectations, fully demonstrating the vitality of the initiative. The China Development Research Foundation is a think-tank foundation that aims to 'support policy research, promote scientific decision-making, and serve the development of China'. The 'One Belt and One Road' is a long-term research topic of the Foundation. The White Paper has been for the past few years. The work made a summary. In the future, the Foundation will also work with all parties to set up a special research fund to conduct impact assessments and case studies on infrastructure projects along the route, and actively explore the cooperation of soft infrastructure in countries along the route, including in other countries. Cooperate to promote the school meal plan and other children's development projects to make contributions to the 'Belt and Road' initiative.
* Press release from China Development Research Foundation, China Foreign Contracting Engineering Chamber of Commerce.