The Historical Basis for the Belt and Road Initiative

Abstract

It has been proved by archaeological excavations that Sichuan brocade used to be an important commodity item along the ancient Silk Road. From a perspective of historical evolution, the entire history of the Silk Road can be divided into several stages, namely, the Silk Road 1.0 era (pre-Qin period — the Yuan Dynasty), the Silk Road 2.0 era (the Ming and Qing dynasties), the Silk Road 3.0 era (the Opium War — the Republic of China) and the Silk Road 4.0 era (the “Belt and Road” Initiative period). The “Silk Road” spirit of “taking the public interests into account” well demonstrates the Chinese way of thinking. The “Belt and Road” Initiative is a program of international cooperation which aims to promote joint development of China and the rest of the world under new circumstances. Fundamentally different from the development approaches of capitalism, colonialism and imperialism since the 16th century, this initiative does not rely on plundering the resources of other countries to achieve self-development. Instead, it is a new initiative designed for joint development and win-win cooperation

Keywords

• the belt and road initiative
• silk road
• international cooperation