19.4.23驻美国大使崔天凯在美国《财富》杂志发表题为《不应错失“一带一路”的发展机遇》的署名文章

On April 23, 2019, Ambassador Cui Tiankai's op-ed about the Belt and Road Initiative was published by Fortune. Here is the full text of the article:

2019年4月23日，驻美国大使崔天凯在美国《财富》杂志发表题为《不应错失“一带一路”的发展机遇》的署名文章，全文译文如下：

Why the U.S. Shouldn't Sit Out the Belt and Road Initiative

不应错失“一带一路”的发展机遇

Imagine the potential of China and the United States, the world's two largest, most vibrant economies collaborating on the most ambitious development project in history. The scenario is no fantasy: China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which kicked off almost six years ago, will eventually connect a vast swath of the world, creating huge yields in economic activity, and wiring the world together as never before. However, the United States remains on the sidelines, and this has implications not only in terms of missed opportunities for growth in the U.S., but for the cause of global development which needs the ingenuity and the industry of the U.S.

如果中美这两个世界上最大、最具活力的经济体共同推进历史上最具雄心的发展事业，其潜力将无可限量。中国的“一带一路”倡议正是这样一项前景可期的事业。“一带一路”倡议始于近六年前，将打通广袤天地，激活经济活动，创造可观财富，并史无前例地将世界联结在一起。然而，美国却选择置身事外，错失了不少发展良机，这对本可从美国人的勤劳智慧中受益的全球发展也并无益处。

The BRI, which echoes the geographic footprint and spirit of the ancient land and maritime Silk Roads that linked Asia, Africa, and Europe, has indeed become a massive platform for cooperation and an engine of growth, with 126 Countries and 29 international organizations having signed BRI cooperation documents with China. Total trade between China and other Belt and Road countries has exceeded $6 trillion, and China's investment in these countries has surpassed $80 billion, with Chinese companies generating over $2 billion in tax revenue and 300,000 jobs for locals.

“一带一路”倡议延续了联通亚欧非的古代陆海丝绸之路的足迹，继承并发扬了丝路精神。今天的“一带一路”已发展为超大规模合作平台和增长驱动。已有126个国家和29个国际组织同中国签署了合作协议。中国同沿线国家贸易总额超过6万亿美元，对沿线国家投资超过800多亿美元，上缴东道国税费20多亿美元，为当地创造了将近30万个就业岗位。

In six short years, the BRI is already proving its value to our partners. Consider the example of Kazakhstan. As the world's largest landlocked country, Kazakhstan has-as a direct result of the BRI-gained access to the Pacific Ocean through the Lianyungang port in China. Regular China-Europe Railway Express freight services have created more than 6,000 jobs in Duisburg, Germany's logistics sector. Through BRI cooperation, countries such as Jamaica, Montenegro, and Uganda now have their first expressways, Belarus has developed its own car industry, and Sri Lanka has seen an end to its longstanding power shortages.

五年多的短暂时间里，“一带一路”倡议已向沿线国家证实了其价值所在。例如，世界最大的内陆国哈萨克斯坦因参与“一带一路”建设在中国连云港找到了太平洋出海口。中欧班列在物流领域为德国杜伊斯堡市创造了超过6000个就业岗位。通过共建“一带一路”，牙买加、黑山、乌干达等国建起了第一条高速公路，白俄罗斯第一次发展起了自己的汽车制造业，斯里兰卡等国则解决了困扰多年的电力紧缺问题。

The key to BRI's success and popularity is that it focuses on addressing the development issue. The Chinese know too well that development holds the master key to all problems. As the Chinese saying goes, building the road is the first step to become prosperous. Therefore, learning from our own experience, we are ready to help others improve infrastructure and connectivity.

“一带一路”如此快速发展、聚敛人气，最重要的原因在于它聚焦发展这个根本性问题。中国人深谙发展是解决一切问题的总钥匙。我们尝过“要致富，先修路”的甜头，愿从自身经验出发，帮助各国改善基础设施、增进互联互通。

Naturally, there is no sense in building roads where there is no traffic. Indeed, once roads, bridges, ports, railways, electricity, and the like are in place, new waves of commerce shall follow. So, in addition to being a massive infrastructure project, the BRI is a force for development that will boost trade and investment with our partners, create more job opportunities for local citizens, and improve stability and quality of life. Since financial bottleneck often proves to be a major challenge, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the Silk Road Fund have been established to complement organizations such as the World Bank and help narrow the funding gap. Furthermore, Belt and Road countries have enhanced the coordination of development strategies and people-to-people amity, because hardware connectivity alone, short of software connectivity, is inadequate to ensure the resilience of the BRI.

当然，有路要有车跑，港口要有船靠，光有基础设施还不够，还要有经济活动的支撑。因此我们在基建联通基础上致力于提振贸易投资、改善民生、增加就业、促进稳定。为突破投融资瓶颈，我们设立了亚洲基础设施投资银行、丝路基金等，同世界银行等合作互补，以填补资金缺口。“硬联通”的发展还需要“软联通”来维系，为使“一带一路”更富韧性，我们积极促进各国发展战略对接和民意相亲。

Critics say that the BRI must have an underlying strategic aim or agenda. If so, then building a community with a shared future for mankind is the agenda, as first and foremost, the BRI aims to promote connectivity. The BRI is open, inclusive and transparent. It is not a geopolitical tool, nor is it designed to form an exclusive clique or impose any terms on others.

有人说，“一带一路”必定有什么战略意图。如果非要这么说的话，那么从其追求“五通”看，意图就是推动构建人类命运共同体。“一带一路”开放、包容、透明。我们决不靠“一带一路”搞地缘政治的一套，从不拉“小圈子”，也不排斥谁或强拉谁。

Some people have errantly characterized the BRI as a potential debt trap. But countries who have participated in and benefited from the BRI have debunked such assertions. Finance Secretary of the Philippines Carlos Dominguez publicly stated that debts owed to China accounts for only 0.65% of the country's total debt. And Dr. Karunasena Kodituwakku, Sri Lanka's ambassador to Beijing, dismissed the idea of "debt-trap diplomacy. Decisions made through the BRI framework, from project selection to investment and financing cooperation, are all based on full consultation between all parties involved, and backed by arduous risk assessment and investment feasibility studies. As a matter of fact, no country has become trapped in a debt crisis since its participation in the BRI. Quite the contrary, it is through participating in BRI cooperation that many countries have emerged from the trap of underdevelopment or no development. Consider the example of Kenya: Philip Mainga, acting managing director of Kenya Railways Corporation, said that the Kenyan economy and citizens have benefited from China's contribution to the expansion and upgrading of transport infrastructure in the country.

我们也听到一些人渲染“债务陷阱”，这是无稽之谈。很多参与并受益于“一带一路”倡议的沿线国家已经站出来用事实和数据公开辟谣。菲律宾财政部长多明格斯公开表示，截至去年底中方债务仅占菲总债务的0.65%。斯里兰卡驻华大使科迪图瓦库也批驳了所谓中国“债务陷阱外交”的说法。“一带一路”合作框架下的项目选择及投融资合作，都是各方共同商量并进行风险评估和投资可行性分析后，慎重作出的决策。事实上到目前为止，没有一个国家因为参与共建“一带一路”而陷入债务危机，相反，很多国家通过参与“一带一路”合作走出了“欠发达的陷阱”、“不发展的陷阱”，比如肯尼亚。肯铁路局代理局长说，肯经济和民众都从中国帮助该国扩建升级交通基础设施中受益。

Traditional Chinese wisdom states that a man of virtue will seek to establish others while establishing himself. In this sense, as we are currently moving China's economy from a phase of rapid growth to a stage of high-quality development, we also pursue quality development in BRI cooperation. The projects are designed to conform with international laws and norms governing international relations and meet international business practices and operating models.

我们在“一带一路”建设中还坚持己欲立而立人，己欲达而达人的中国传统哲思。例如，我们推动自身经济由高速度增长向高质量发展转变，在“一带一路”建设中也同样追求高质量，有关项目符合国际法和国际关系基本准则，符合国际通行商业惯例和运作模式。

So where is the U.S. amid all of this winning? There are countless opportunities to U.S. corporations available through BRI projects. Honeywell International is already working with partners to further oil and gas development along the Belt and Road. General Electric has signed a number of deals with partners of the BRI which will help to provide reliable power and energy to critical regions across the world. Caterpillar is working with China's initiative to help solve Pakistan's severe power shortages. Meanwhile, Citibank is actively providing financing for projects through the markets along the Belt and Road. We certainly welcome more taking part.

那么美国在这一互利共赢的合作中去哪儿了呢？对美国公司而言，“一带一路”处处有机遇。霍尼韦尔公司致力于为“一带一路”沿线的油气开发提供支持，通用电气公司已同“一带一路”合作伙伴就电力和能源供应签署数项协议，卡特彼勒公司在“一带一路”框架内推动解决巴基斯坦电力短缺问题，花旗银行积极为“一带一路”沿线各国的项目提供融资。我们欢迎更多美国公司参与其中。

In a few days, the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF) will be held in China, gathering representatives from around the world to draw up a blueprint for future cooperation. Looking forward, we will continue to progress towards high-quality development through global pragmatic cooperation. We will enhance trilateral cooperation and encourage cooperation among all participating countries in third markets, achieving win-win results for all.

过几天，中方将主办第二届“一带一路”国际合作高峰论坛，各方将齐聚北京为“一带一路”倡议走远走实建言献策。展望未来，“一带一路”倡议必将在前进中不断完善，在务实合作中实现高质量发展。我们也将加强三方合作，推动“一带一路”建设的双赢、多赢、共赢。

My suggestion is that the U.S. embrace this opportunity.

我给美方朋友的建议是，蹈而不可失者，机也。