Xi Jinping invokes the Silk Road spirit
Belk and Road cooperation represents the advancing of our times
Speaking at the Opening Ceremony of the Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation on October 18, 2023, China’s President Xi Jinping appealed for support of the “Silk Road spirit” of cooperation, mutual learning, and mutual benefit. This was the way, he maintains, of the “pioneers of ancient silk routes . . . [who] . . .won their place in history not as conquerors with warships, guns, horses or swords . . . [but] . . . as friendly emissaries leading camel caravans and sailing ships loaded with goods.”
For Xi, cooperation is the key to the common development of all. “Cooperation seeks to deliver a good life not only to people of just one country, but to people in other countries as well. It promotes connectivity, mutual benefit, common development, cooperation and win-win outcomes.”
The Silk Road spirit contrasts with “ideological confrontation, geopolitical rivalry, and bloc politics,” which are not an option for China, Xi maintains. China stands against u…