Communication key to One Belt, One Road success

China’s One Belt, One Road policy has to be open and inclusive to ensure its success, said panellists at a discussion on the initiative yesterday. They also called on Beijing to clarify the plan’s details.

The Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road, commonly known as One Belt, One Road, is aimed at rejuvenating two ancient trade routes and knitting Eurasia into a single vast market, and will encompass 65 countries.

China should focus more on communication, said Singapore’s Ambassador to China Stanley Loh, as the details and objectives of the plan have yet to be made clear to the huge number of countries involved.

“It is important (for the Chinese) to go out and do a roadshow outside China, so that the region knows what this project is all about,” Mr Loh said at the FutureChina Global Forum yesterday.

The other aspect of communication entails China having to listen to what the region thinks and wants to do.

“Ultimately, in order for One Belt, One Road to succeed, it has to be “our” project; other countries must take ownership and feel a sense of belonging,” said Mr Loh.

At the discussion, titled One Belt One Road: Assessing Xi Jinping’s Signature Initiative And What It Means For China’s Neighbours, the panellists agreed that all the participating countries would benefit from the project.

“(ASEAN countries) see the project as having the potential to support their infrastructural development, promote economic growth, and also build a more conducive and friendly environment, building trust and comfort in the region,” Mr Loh said, adding that the project is welcomed by all 10 members of the Association of South-east Asian Nations.

Professor and honorary dean of the National School of Development at Peking University Justin Lin said the initiative would allow low-income countries to transform themselves to middle- or even high-income nations.

“One Belt, One Road, by emphasising infrastructural development … will provide opportunities for all the neighbouring countries involved in this initiative to enjoy similar dynamic economic growth, to have 20, 30 years or even a longer time, of 8 to 10 per cent growth,” Prof Lin said. CELENE TAN