In 2018, Portugal and China signed an agreement on cooperation under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), making Portugal the first country in Western Europe to participate in the initiative.
Such stories continue to emerge. Since President Xi proposed the initiative in 2013, China's "circle of friends" has continued to expand. By the end of October 2019, China had concluded cooperation agreements with 137 countries and 30 international organizations.
As a Chinese saying goes, "To know whether a policy is good or not, you should see if it makes people frown or smile."
In Uzbekistan, Chinese personnel worked closely with the locals, building an over 19-kilometer tunnel in just 900 days. The tunnel, which is the longest in Central Asia, allows Uzbeks living in remote areas to travel through mountains and ranges in just 15 minutes.
Thanks to the BRI, fishermen who catch crayfish along the banks of the Nile in Egypt can now see their crayfish on Chinese people's dining tables. The high demand from China also puts more money in their pockets. For them, the initiative is a path to wealth. In Serbia, Chinese companies helped revive a near-bankrupt steel plant, securing jobs and stable incomes for 5, 000 workers.
Joint construction with participating countries allows Belt and Road countries to align their development strategies, thus releasing the development potential of these countries and bringing real benefits to their peoples.
Against the backdrop of profound changes, development is the master key to solving problems. The reason why the BRI has attracted so many participants is that it matches with the desire of countries, especially developing ones, to seek development.
Belt and Road construction is successful because it focuses on economic development, promotes openness and cooperation, and aims to achieve mutual benefits and win-win results.
