Daily Times

Chinese president Xi Jinping has started a two-day showcase of his ambitious development project, set out to transform the world through trade and not warfare.

Xi claims that his multi-billion dollar project, One Belt One Road, is a reinvention the ancient Silk Road intertwined with new-age globalization.

In a summit in Beijing, attended by 29 heads of state including Russia’s Putin and Turkey’s Erdogan, Xi said that the glory of the ancient Silk Road shows that geographical dispersion is not insurmountable.

Xi’s foreign policy initiative did, however, face criticism from India’s announcement of boycotting proceedings. India claims that the $900bn project is a ‘little more than a colonial enterprise’ and would definitely leave debt and disoriented communities in its path.

Xi, however, differs in his stance for his project which he claims will be bold, inclusive and start of a new era of globalisation.

“The Belt and Road initiative is rooted in the ancient Silk Road but it is also open to all other countries,” the Chinese leader said in his 45-minute address.

Xi compared his initiative to that of Chinese traders and explorers before him like Zheng He who sought out to engage with other countries through peaceful trade and not warfare. He said that these were the pioneers who won their place in history not as conquerors but friendly traders.

“This part of history shows that civilisation thrives with openness and that nations prosper from exchange.” He added.

Ethiopia’s Prime Minister, Hailemariam Desalegn, in his support to Xi’s project said that this project was a unique, historic and extraordinary one especially for developing countries like Africa, who looked up to China as a successful economic model and sought support from China for a fight against poverty.

“I commend President Xi for setting in train such a bold and visionary project. This initiative is truly ground-breaking in the scale of its ambition, spanning more than 65 countries, across four continents, with the potential to raise the living standards of 70% of the global population.” Said the British chancellor Philip Hammond

Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif offered his heartiest tribute to Xi’s initiative. Pakistan and China are long-term and long time allies and Sharif said, “We stand at the cusp of a geo-economic revolution. In fact, this is the dawn of a truly new era of synergetic intercontinental cooperation.”

“The two strongest champions of globalisation as I see it the US and the UK are both retreating [genuinely] or symbolically from their commitment to globalisation I see this as presenting a good strategic opportunity for China to promote itself as the new champion of globalisation.” Peter Cai, a fellow from Australia’s Lowy Institute, congratulated Xi for emerging as a responsible world leader in a post Trump and post Brexit world.