The container ship Port Klang Voyager berths at the Jintang Port in Zhoushan, East China's Zhejiang Province on November 23, 2023. The ship passes through Vietnam, Malaysia, Egypt, Turkey and other BRI partner countries along the coast of Black Sea. Photo：VCG

In 2024, the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has entered a period of high-quality development at its 11th anniversary, which was partly boosted by China's innovation-driven strategy that results in productivity increase in BRI partner countries.

Global cooperation in technology sector continues to thrive under BRI this year. 

To date, China has built more than 50 joint laboratories with BRI partner countries, and it also vowed last year to increase that number to 100 within the next five years.

On the one hand, China has built the foundations to position itself as one of the world's leading science and technology superpowers, by establishing a sometimes stunning lead in high-impact research across most critical and emerging technology domains.

On the other hand, thanks to various initiatives under the BRI, China is actively facilitating broader global scientific and technological cooperation and enhancing the innovation capabilities of BRI partner countries, while sharing the fruitful results of the Chinese path to modernization with partner countries, thus contributing to the advancement.

In countries of the Global South, the BRI has given them a realistic path toward becoming middle-income countries in the foreseeable future.

In Europe, while some bureaucrats are still submitting to pressure from the US and have been talking about "de-risking" from China, a number of European nations recognize the potential that exists for their own economies by cooperating with the growing markets of the Global South under the BRI framework.

Europe is currently experiencing a deep crisis. Some major European economies, such as Germany and France, have been facing significant economic, financial and political challenges. Given this context, it would normally be self-evident for them to recognize the benefits of increasing trade and investment under the BRI framework.

In Europe, the China-Austria Joint Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Manufacturing integrates China's prowess in digital economy and AI innovations with Austria's expertise in traditional manufacturing. These joint labs have made breakthroughs such as the landslide geological hazard collaborative monitoring system as well as the 5G Communication and Internet of Things public security system.

Helga Zepp-LaRouche Photo: Courtesy of Helga Zepp-LaRouche

We are currently in the most dangerous period in history ever, because some forces in the West cannot reconcile themselves with the fact that the unipolar world has been replaced already with a multipolar order. 

In any case, the China-proposed initiative, with the ultimate aim of building a community with a shared future for mankind, is one of the global cooperation platforms on the table to overcome the geopolitical divide in the world. It is also a natural and essential way to bring infrastructure development into all corners of the world as a precondition for industrialization.

Looking forward, there will be a growing consensus among individual countries that recognize the BRI as a golden development opportunity, rather than solely viewing it as a geopolitical threat, as some Western countries do. 

Since the development requirements of the Global South are gigantic, in the second decade of BRI development, the initiative will continue to offer plenty of opportunities for all nations to work together for their mutual benefit. 

If all countries can bear in mind such a perspective, this decade of the BRI can unleash the creative potential of billions of people, fostering inclusive growth and prosperity across regions.

The article was compiled based on an interview with Helga Zepp-LaRouche, founder of the German-based think tank Schiller Institute