The Belt and Road Initiative will empower Chinese enterprises to play a bigger role on the global stage and help enhance China’s global influence in its “golden” second decade since its launch in 2013, experts said at a seminar on Friday.
The event, organized by the Shenzhen-based think tank China Development Institute, coincided with the launch of its Belt and Road Research Institute.
“As the Belt and Road Initiative enters its second decade, the next 10 years will be an important period for Chinese enterprises to expand their global footprints, leveraging their expertise and experience accumulated during the country’s 40 years of development,” said Liu Rongxin, senior research fellow and general direct director of CDI’s department of regional planning and development.
Liu highlighted the importance of “going global” for Chinese enterprises, as the global landscape of economic and trade cooperation is undergoing fundamental changes.
“In the globalization era, efficiency is the priority. But now, priorities are placed on employment, security, or even politics. So we are seeing a trend of deglobalization,” she said, stressing that overseas expansion has been essential for Chinese enterprises’ “survival”.
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Li Qing, executive director of the Guangdong Institute for International Strategies, said the international landscape has undergone significant changes after the COVID-19 pandemic, with emerging economies gaining prominence in global governance.
Following the BRICS expansion, the group’s member countries — all being leading emerging economies — now account for about 30 percent of global GDP and nearly half the world’s population.
“The influence of emerging economies on the world is growing. With this changing world governance landscape, the Belt and Road Initiative is becoming an important platform for China to integrate into the world and to exert its influence on the world,” Li said.
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Dai Yonghong, head of the Institute of Area and International Communication Studies at Shenzhen University, said the cultivation of interdisciplinary and innovative talent is vital for addressing challenges in the development of the Belt and Road Initiative.
“One of the major challenges we are facing is that our voices can’t be heard globally. To tackle the problem, we need to nurture talents who have expertise in language, international communication, trade and rule of law,” Dai said.
