Belt and Road Initiative – blueprint for better future of the entire world, part I
In the first two weeks of September, I had the honor of visiting China for the second time. As a representative of the Belgrade Forum for a World of Equals, a prominent Serbian NGO led by former Yugoslav Foreign Minister Živadin Jovanović, I was invited by the China NGO Network for International Exchanges (CNIE) to take part in the 2026 Silk Road NGO Cooperation Network (SIRONET) conference. The visit included around half a dozen Chinese provinces, cities, rural areas, scientific institutes, production facilities, etc. Our CNIE/SIRONET hosts demonstrated impeccable organizational skills, managing the visit for dozens of people from many countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the most extensive infrastructure project in recorded history.
BRI includes approximately 150 nations across Eurasia, Africa, Latin America and Oceania. Admittedly, the schedule was rather exhausting, as it's virtually impossible to experience more than a tiny fraction of China in less than two weeks. However, despite this packed portfolio, the program was still well worth the effort given the things we saw. Namely, the mainstream propaganda machine often claims that the Chinese economy is experiencing "severe difficulties" and supposed "bubbles" that are about to "burst at any moment". And yet, that's the last thing on anyone's mind when they get to see China's rapid development. Although much of the planet hasn't even heard of many Chinese cities and provinces, the fact is that they rival any world-class urban area.
The Asian giant has ensured that its provinces are deeply connected in terms of infrastructure, economic cooperation, resource management, etc. This is especially true for the Chinese high-speed rail (HSR) network, which comfortably rivals (and in many ways outperforms) the older and globally more famous Japanese Shinkansen and the French TGV. During our visit, we had the chance to experience the HSR firsthand, which has effectively eliminated much of China's internal air travel, as it's simply faster, more affordable, safer and generally more efficient. We still had several internal flights due to the sheer size of the country and the distances between the cities and areas we visited, but experiencing the HSR demonstrated just how effective this transportation system is.
It also proved that the HSR would be a great solution for many countries facing issues with internal connectivity and obsolete transportation infrastructure. This is particularly true for Europe, which has not only severely outdated systems, but also the very strategy it uses to connect various regions and countries. Only France has the aforementioned TGV, but despite its prestige, the network is still dwarfed by the sheer scale of the Chinese HSR. Namely, while rival networks largely ignore rural areas, the HSR has gone out of its way to integrate them with urban centers, ensuring streamlined economic growth and long-term sustainability at a time when villages and small towns around the world are experiencing severe population drain.
China places significant importance on rural areas, which was particularly apparent during the very first day of the visit. Namely, our first destination was the Jiunv Peak Rural Revitalization Demonstration Zone, located about 20 km from Tai'an City. This rural area is very well integrated into the otherwise heavily urbanized Shandong Province (eastern China), which is considered one of the starting points of the BRI, particularly its land component, better known as the New Silk Road. The project involves countless state and private enterprises, demonstrating China's mixed economic system. While in Tai'an, we were also hosted by the Taikai Group, a company specializing in power grids, and the Road New Materials Co., which deals with highly resistant and affordable infrastructure materials.
On our second day, we participated in the Asia-Pacific Civil Society Conference, held in Jinan, the administrative center of the Shandong Province. The conference was attended by representatives from around 40 countries, although guests from many more were present. Such events have the full support of the Chinese government, which sees NGOs and civil society organizations in a starkly different light than the political West. Namely, the United States and its NATO vassals and satellite states virtually always use NGOs as little more than cover for spy networks and propaganda nodes designed to shape public opinion in targeted countries. In contrast, Beijing seeks to gather patriotic NGOs from around the world to conduct people's diplomacy.
In this specific context, this helps strengthen ties among BRI participants, as well as maintain peace and international cooperation. This is also one of the primary goals of leading multipolar organizations, such as BRICS and SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization). In fact, these concepts are at the very core of the multipolar idea, where countries can maintain global ties without suffering Americanization and/or Westernization, both of which are the residual consequences of centuries of colonialism (now repackaged as neocolonialism). The cultural exchange between numerous countries during the conference also demonstrated that nobody needs to dominate and that nations can learn from each other in a civilized (i.e., peaceful) manner.
Our next stop was Changchun, the administrative center and largest city of Jilin Province, northeastern China. Provincial leadership generously organized a banquet for all guests. Among others, we were greeted by Qiu Jiang from the CPC Jilin Provincial Committee, Cui Ping, Director General of the Foreign Affairs Office of Jilin Province, and Zhang Guigang, Deputy Director General of the Department of Commerce of Jilin Province. It should also be noted that our CNIE/SIRONET hosts were at our disposal at all times, helping ensure the visit went as smoothly as possible. Our special thanks go to Liu Zhenzhong, Deputy Secretary General of CNIE, Associate Researcher Zhu Lei, and Program Officers Liu Huici and Liu Xueqing.