Light up the sky of culture by the spirit of Silk Roads (observed by commentators) – sing for a time of the Belt and Road in harmony③

With ears for echo of Silk Roads history and with hands for a sense of gain brought by mutual benefit and cooperation, the spirit of Silk Roads of peaceful cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning and mutual benefits and win-win result is gathering a wider consensus and richer wisdom.

‘It is not only a link economically but also a link spiritually.’ ‘Attending this Forum, I feel like in a big warm family.’ ‘Openness and cooperation are what are needed most in today’s world, being a footstone for mutual communication between countries.’…… Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation is coming and many officials from foreign governments have spoken out their feelings about the Belt and Road. Sincere words echo with the main melody of seeking for cooperation and win-win results in a new time, being the up-to-date footnote of the spirit of Silk Roads.

Tracing back in history, Zhang Qian paid two visits as an envoy to the Western Regions, exploiting a Silk Road traversing east and west and Europe and Asia, who wrote down in the history of human civilization - envoys and merchants came and went without an end. By putting forward a conception of the Belt and Road, President Xi Jinping briefed the spirit of Silk Roads as peaceful cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning and mutual benefits and win-win result. A stress on highlight the spirit of Silk Roads is to enhance mutual learning in civilization, respect the choice of roads, persist in cooperation and win-win results and promote peaceful dialogue, which put conceptual and methodological soul into One Belt One Road construction. Today, guided by the spirit of Silk Roads, along Ancient Tea-Horse Road, Silk Roads on deserts, Silk Roads on the grassland and Silk Roads on the sea, the Belt and Road has achieved cooperative outcomes, displaying a new brilliant picture of combination. Despite of different skin colors, different languages and different civil contexts, the spirit of Silk Roads of peaceful cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning and mutual benefits and win-win result is gathering a wider consensus and richer wisdom when people hear the echo of Silk Roads history and feel a sense of gain brought by mutual benefit and cooperation

Looking around the whole world, peace and development are a mainstream of a time but conflicts and fluctuations often occur. It is evidenced that peaceful dialogue is the best choice to solve a problem. Hand-in-hand cooperation is a road of brightness to prosperity. In the sunshine of the 21st century, infinite possibility lies in cooperation. In Kisumu, Kenya, a pregnant lady suffering from malaria was cured by medicine of artemisinin called ketaixin produced by China and named her born baby Contecxin (similar pronunciation to ketaixin in Chinese). In Yiwu, Zhejiang Province, citizens were able to taste authentic Scotch whiskey delivered by China-Europe freight trains. When a human society becomes a community of shared destiny where you are in me and I am in you, it is the best interpretation of the spirit of Silk Roads to believe in an idea of peace, uphold an attitude of cooperation and pursue equality and mutual benefit as well as sharing and win-win results.

Different colors bring out the best in each other and ensemble of musical notes and the combination of different music instruments creates harmony and peace. Civilization shines for mutual learning. Cooperation, openness and sharing are colors of the spirit of Silk Roads that never fade. A thousand years ago, Champa rice of Southeast Asia came to Fujian Province via marine Silk Roads, affecting the structure of rice varieties in China. Rice in Laos is the offspring of Champa rice but restricted to the level of outdated production technology. In 2015, a Chinese man named Xu Guowu began to grow rice in Laos and define the rice quality in accordance with Chinese standards, which revitalized Laotian rice to step into the international market. Overlap in history was discovered by jointly archaeological excavations. Confucius Academy was opened to spread Chinese traditional culture. Addisababa Djibouti Railway was opened and trainings were provided. Shenzhen-style management and service was introduced into Cambodian Sihanoukville Special Economy Zone……In virtue of the Belt and Road, a beautiful vision of connectivity of policy, infrastructure, trade, finance and people, is being turned into reality.

A diplomatic relation between two countries lies in friendship between people in these countries. As Jorge Luis Borges, Argentine writer said, ‘Friendship is most reliable wealth.’ A close connection between hearts can resist any of long distance. Because of shortage of energy, Pakistan often suffers from blackout, even in the biggest city Karachi. This awkward situation has happened lot, but many Pakistan people keep such a habit: ‘Switch on electric fan for Chinese friends.’ This kind of respectful entertainment implies their respect to friends who sincerely cooperate. It is estimated that there have been more than 25 million two-way trips made in China and other countries along the Belt and Road. Chinese tourists have become an important source in many countries along the Belt and Road Inspired by the spirit of Silk Roads, people across the borders are unconsciously gathering positive energy of mutual trust and moving ahead hand in hand.

When you open a night view of our planet taken by satellite, the unbalanced light distribution impressed us deeply. It seems to be a certain kind of metaphor: it is still a long way to create a community of shared destiny of humans and realize a globalization in its true sense. There is an old saying in China, ‘Boundless is the ocean where we sail with the wind.’ The Belt and Road today has no doubt become a remarkable public sharing product worldwide. Peaceful dialogue should be promoted, cooperation and win-win results should be persisted, choices of roads should be respected, and mutual learning in civilization should be enhanced. Progressing forward in a sense of duty that time waits for no man, our generation should be able to shoulder our own historic mission and light up the way of human civilization forward by the spirit of Silk Roads.