Representatives from the New World Press and Arab Scientific Publishers Inc attend a partnership signing ceremony at the London Book Fair 2016 in the UK on Tuesday. Photo: Courtesy of China International Publishing Group

The English edition of The Belt and the Road Initiative: What will China offer the world in its rise was launched on Tuesday at the London Book Fair 2016.

Written by Professor Wang Yiwei, director of the Institute of International Affairs at Renmin University of China, it is the first book to explain China's Belt and Road Initiative, a key development strategy put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, from the perspective of international relations.

In his book, the author points out that the Belt and Road Initiative embodies the spirit of China's all-round opening up, reflects the requirements for inclusive globalization and marks China's fundamental transformation from being a participator to a promoter of globalization.

At the launch, Wang pointed out that as globalization trends become less dominated by the US, the world has begun moving towards a global village model that is split between developed countries and developing countries, the center and the periphery.

Wang continued by explaining that through its connections between Europe, Africa and Asia, the Belt and Road Initiative will help bridge this divide by helping developing countries shake off poverty, while promoting the sustained and successful rise of emerging countries in a way that will rectify the flaws with traditional globalization logic.

Also at the launch, Xiang Xiaowei, minister counsellor in the Cultural Section of the Chinese Embassy in UK, praised Wang's work for providing an in-depth interpretation of the Belt and Road Initiative.

Martin Jacques, senior fellow at the Department of Politics and International Studies, Cambridge University, told the Global Times, "I found it very refreshing. The book is quite comprehensive, and covers a very wide range of issues."

He pointed out that China may find many of the risks analyzed in the book quite challenging when it comes to implementation.

Jacques mentioned that one of the book's strengths is that it helps explain the Belt and Road Initiative to a western audience, which is important because while the British government is interested in the initiative due to the current shift in attention toward China, the general public is not quite aware of what it entails.

Fang Zhenghui, vice-president of the China International Publishing Group, pointed out that the One Belt and One Road Initiative has roots in history while at the same time looks to the future. He added that the initiative can help build a new bridge between China and the rest of the world, while bringing new life and significance to the ancient Silk Road.

The Chinese edition of the book, published in China last year, earned its way onto the China Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television Journal's "Excellent Bestsellers" list in June 2015 and the China Book Critics Society's "Great Books of China" list in July 2015.

The book launch on the first day of the London Book Fair was co-organized by the China International Publishing Group, New World Press Ltd, CCPN Global and the Global China Press.

The event also featured a contract signing ceremony for partnerships between the New World Press and Arab Scientific Publishers Inc.

Apart from The Belt and the Road Initiative: What will China offer the world in its rise,the partnership includes three other books: I am from Xinjiang on the Silk Road, Key words to understand China and 2016: G20 and China.