(by Professor Zheng Changzhong en route to the Opening Ceremony of the 9th Silk Road International Expo, May 21, 2025）
Good morning, everyone! We’re now heading to the opening ceremony of the 9th Silk Road International Expo, a key event promoting the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The BRI, proposed by President Xi Jinping in 2013, aims to revive the ancient Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. But did you know? In the same year, President Xi also introduced another visionary idea—building a community with a shared future for mankind. How are these two concepts connected?
Simply put, the community with a shared future is the overarching vision, while the BRI serves as its practical pathway. Today, I’ll focus on explaining the concept of this shared future. Later, after the ceremony, I’ll share details about the BRI’s progress and achievements.
As we’ve discussed during our trip, Chinese civilization has thrived for millennia without interruption. A core ideal in our history is the pursuit of a world of “Great Unity” (Datong), where all people—regardless of background, ability, or region—live in equality, prosperity, and mutual care. Importantly, this vision isn’t limited to China; it’s about creating harmony for all humanity. Unlike utopian ideals rooted in religion, Chinese tradition emphasizes building such a world here and now through collective effort.
Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, we’ve stayed true to this ethos: developing our nation while sharing our progress with the world. China’s development never comes at the expense of others. We believe humanity and nature are interconnected—hence our dual pursuit of “Great Unity” and “harmony between humanity and nature”.
Drawing from these cultural roots, President Xi proposed the community with a shared future in 2013. It calls for nations to rise above differences in borders, systems, and cultures, working together on global challenges like climate change, terrorism, and public health. To advance this vision, China later introduced three global initiatives: the Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, and Global Civilization Initiative.
Of course, turning ideals into reality requires action. The BRI is one of the most significant steps toward this goal. For specifics on its strategies, projects, and achievements, stay tuned after the ceremony! For now, let’s enjoy the ride and prepare for an inspiring opening event.
*The views and opinions expressed in the articles are solely those of the individual authors and do not reflect the position of the Secretariat of the Belt and Road Journalist Network.