Last month, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indonesian
President Joko Widodo witnessed the trial operation of the co-built
Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway. The railway, when completed, will run at a
speed of up to 350km per hour and reduce traffic time between the two cities
from three hours to just over 40 minutes.
It was during his visit to Indonesia in 2013 that President
Xi proposed the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Initiative, which, together
with the Silk Road Economic Belt Initiative proposed during his subsequent
visit to Kazakhstan, constitutes the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
Over the past 10 years, the BRI has developed from a concept
into reality and was welcomed by the international community as a public good
and a platform for cooperation. Inspired by the BRI, China has become the major
trading partner to more than 140 countries and regions, and China’s investment
has reached nearly $1 trillion by the end of July 2022.
The BRI meets global needs for infrastructure and reflects
the common aspiration of countries, especially developing ones, to pursue
progress. A World Bank study indicated that if all transportation
infrastructure projects are carried out by 2030, the BRI will generate $1.6
trillion of revenue globally, with the bulk going to low- and middle-income
countries. The BRI will also contribute to lifting 7.6 million people out of
extreme poverty and 32 million out of moderate poverty.
The BRI adheres to the principles of extensive consultation,
joint efforts, and shared and mutual benefits. It follows internationally
accepted practices and remains open, inclusive, and transparent, as China
welcomes all initiatives boosting global infrastructure building but opposes
the practice of bloc politics.
China provides concessional loans with low-interest rates
and long maturities to developing countries based on their needs. It focuses on
economic growth and people’s livelihood to help them achieve a virtuous circle
of capacity for home-grown development and debt sustainability. China has
initiated multilateral financing and investment platforms, including the Asian
Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). Operating on “lean, clean, and green” principles,
the AIIB has become the world’s second-largest multilateral development agency
after the World Bank.
Therefore, the BRI does not throw partners into a “debt
trap” but lifts them out of the “poverty trap”. And it is important to note
that it is the “narrative trap” that maliciously discredits the BRI that we
should reject.
Jordan is an oasis of stability in the Middle East and an
important regional gateway. China and Jordan are natural partners in advancing
the BRI.
Partnering on the BRI would allow the China-Jordan
friendship to carry on from generation to generation. Over 2,000 years ago, the
ancient Silk Road connected China to the vast Arab region. A key post on the
trade route, Petra welcomed camel caravans carrying silk and tea from China and
spices from the Middle East, starting long-lasting friendly exchanges between
China and Jordan. In the last half-century, under the strategic guidance of
leaders of both countries, China and Jordan have carried on the Silk Road
spirit and continuously written new chapters of friendship by constantly
strengthening exchanges at all levels, furthering cooperation in all fields,
and entering a strategic partnership.
Partnering on the BRI, China and Jordan converge and
complement each other in development strategies. China has embarked on a new
journey of building a modern socialist country in all respects, taking
high-quality development as the top priority, and working to foster a unique
development pattern with domestic and international circulations reinforcing
each other.
China’s direct investment in Jordan last year reached $20.24 million, a 30 percent increase from a year earlier, while Jordan’s investment in China grew sevenfold.
Jordan has introduced integrated reforms for political,
economic, and administrative modernization, launched the Economic Modernization
Vision, and passed the new Investment Environment Law. Our two countries are
strong advocates and promoters of globalization and oppose unilateralism and
protectionism. Jordan is also a founding member of the AIIB. China is ready to
strengthen the synergy of development strategies and policy dialogue with
Jordan, to give full play to our complementary advantages, create more growth
drivers in cooperation, and assist Jordan in improving its infrastructure and
industrial capacity with “Made in China” and “Built in China”.
Partnering on the BRI, China and Jordan enjoy broader
prospects of mutual benefit and win-win results. In recent years, our two
countries have made impressive achievements in cooperation in trade,
investment, and contracting projects. According to Chinese statistics,
bilateral trade hit a record high of $4.415 billion in 2021. It amounted to
$5.38 billion in the first 10 months of 2022, an increase of over 50 percent
year on year.
China’s direct investment in Jordan last year reached $20.24
million, a 30 percent increase from a year earlier, while Jordan’s investment
in China grew sevenfold. Project contracting has maintained a growth momentum,
highlighted by energy projects, especially those using local resources and new
energy. China will continue to provide Jordan with new opportunities through
its own new development.
This year marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of
diplomatic ties between China and Jordan. Over the past 45 years, our bilateral
relations have withstood the test of the ever-changing international situation,
and traditional friendship and practical cooperation in various fields continue
to grow in scope and depth.
Taking advantage of new horizons of our respective second
centenary journeys, and aiming at high-standard, sustainable and
people-centered growth, China is looking forward to high-quality Belt and Road
collaboration to unleash more potential for cooperation, create more mutually
beneficial results to bring about more concrete benefit to our two peoples and
usher in a better future together.
Chen Chuandong is the Chinese Ambassador to Jordan.اضافة اعلان
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