Preface Ⅰ
To Promote “the Belt and Road” Initiative, Start from Listening

The Belt and Road Initiative put forward by President Xi Jinping received overwhelming responses from the international community.The Initiative had a wonderful beginning and the great achievements it has made in just 6 years are more than expected.

The Belt and Road Initiative is guided by the silk principle of “extensive consultation, joint efforts and win-win cooperation”, with main contents of “Five Connectivity”: achieving policy, infrastructure, trade, financial, and people-to-people connectivity.In order to put the silk principle in place, we must give priority to policy connectivity, connecting the Belt and Road Initiative to related strategies of other countries.The precondition is to fully understand the strategies, policies and the heartfelt opinions about the Belt and Road Initiative of other countries concerned.Therefore, to promote the Belt and Road Initiative, we may start from listening.

After the Initiative was proposed, Sun Chao, the author of this book interviewed dozens of ambassadors and leaders of international organizations.The achievements of these interviews were published continuously in China Development Observation, a well-known core magazine of Development and Research Center of the State Council.Moreover, Sun Chao launched the Belt and Road Ambassador Interview Program.

The ambassadors’ interviews are of great significance.First, they are authoritative.On behalf of a country, an ambassador's opinions are not personal but represent national wills, which are different from the views expressed by experts and scholars.Through ambassador interviews, we can understand what views a country holds about the Initiative.Second, they are bilateral.Ambassadors not only understand their countries’ policies but also have a better insight about China and the Initiative than other officials of foreign countries.At the same time, they undertake the mission of deepening their understandings of the Belt and Road Initiative.Therefore, by interviewing ambassadors, audiences will find what these countries pay attention to.Third, they are vivid.These interviews are all face-to-face communications rather than dull government documents.Thus, they are vivid and interesting with distinctive contents.

It is very meaningful for Sun Chao, author of this book to publish these in-depth interviews.I sincerely recommend this book to all the audience.

This is the preface of the book.

Long Guoqiang
Vice President (Vice Minister) of
Development Research Center of the State Council
Beijing