Photo: VCG

Editor's Note:

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping. Through the lens of foreign pundits, we take a look at 10 years of the BRI - how it achieves win-win cooperation between China and countries along the Belt and Road and how it increases people's sense of fulfillment in these countries.

In a recent interview with Global Times (GT) reporter Wang Wenwen, Jerrie Ueberle (Ueberle), founder and president of Global Interactions, Inc., a Phoenix-based non-profit corporation focusing on increasing worldwide communication and understanding among US professionals and their international counterparts, shared her views on the concept of connectivity, the BRI's achievements in the past 10 years and its prospects.

This is the fourth article of the series.

GT: Your organization promotes communication and understanding?between people. The BRI aims to foster connectivity and cooperation among continents. Why are these elements of communication, understanding, connectivity and cooperation important for the world?

Ueberle: It is important because, through being connected, we understand one another better. We may not agree with each other as we're connected, but we will understand. And as the world becomes connected and we understand, there is more possibility for peace, growth and prosperity.

So I believe that the more we can connect with people, whether we build roads, pathways, skyways, or bridges that get people to come together for purposes, the safer, better and more productive the world will be for everyone.

People will discover ways to have a better world that works for everyone when they begin to know one another personally and learn their values and purpose. When we know what is important to others, we see them in a different way and how to be with them and support them in their purposes.

GT: This year marks the 10th anniversary of the BRI. How do you evaluate the development and achievements of the BRI over the past 10 years?

Ueberle: Based on what I hear, what I listen to, and what I know about it, it is moving forward. It's also having stumbling blocks. People are for it or against it for one reason or another. But the real value of this will be its continuing value if it's ever completed. If it ever comes to completion, the amount of knowledge that is shared, the amount of exchange of ideas, and the amount of creative new ideas will just mount as we go through the process of it being developed, and it's a long process.

It is a learning curve that will reveal itself as people begin to inquire with people from other places, know what is important and valuable for them, and how they pursue a better life by attempting new ways of being and doing.

It's not a 10-year program. It's a long-term program, and probably the more countries get into it, the more they will see that needs to be developed. So it's kind of endless and timeless in terms of what it will take to actually know its value and see the gifts that it will bring. It is like a towering mountain, the higher you climb, the greater distance you can see and the more ideas and awareness will become known to you.

GT: Some people in the West have been smearing this initiative. How can their doubts be eased?

Ueberle: I think you have to focus on the intent. Any big project is always going to have criticism. The BRI is a big project, and this is going to make people who are fearful wonder: What's the intent of the BRI? Is it to dominate? Is it to control, or is it to do good? We fear what we do not know. The more the BRI is used, the more ideas they will have about how it can be used for good purposes. 

The BRI is not a one-way path. It's a multi-way path. So everybody has the opportunity to benefit; everybody has the opportunity to gain information. Consider the significant contribution of goods and services that will enhance our environment. Technological advancements will accelerate economic growth along the Belt and Road.

Moreover, think about the vast educational opportunities. Through technology we have enormous access to education and to share our ideas. However, the most powerful way to learn and share is by developing personal relationships and discussing, inquiring, and exchanging different points of view so people will not only have new ways of looking at an issues, but they will discover their "blind spots" and notice things they had not considered prior to the conversation and exchange.

GT: It appears that there is a noticeable reluctance in the West to understand China's approach to global engagement. What is your perspective on this matter?

Ueberle: I think the BRI is proving access to some countries that have never experienced such inclusiveness or connectivity before. Imagine what possibilities exist when they come together and start working together. Imagine the hybrid ideas, the new thoughts and ideas. It is human chemistry coming together to create with one another for a common cause, and I truly believe our common cause is humanity and a world that works for everyone.

Successful projects are generally not done by a single entity. Although China has initiated the BRI, it will involve more than 100 countries and regions. And that is enormous! So China isn't doing it alone. It was China's initiative, but it's being done collectively. I see this as a new frontier of countries working together, as well as working with China. Things are better when we work together and one country dominating, a single country ruling, is not the best way to go. Collective ideas, inclusive participation, and engaging conversations will result in ideas, and solutions we have never before considered.

The best way to go is to have different ideas, different points of view, and different ways to look at the world. From any position that we look at something, there are blind spots that we don't see. I look at things from an American point of view. China looks from a Chinese point of view; the EU looks from a European point of view, and those are wonderful points of view. But there's a bigger world when you change positions and look at the world from others' points of view.

Again, you don't have to agree; you don't have to necessarily change your point of view, but you have to have a broader understanding of how other people live, think, work, and plan. It makes your life richer because you have more information about other people. You see humanity on a larger scale, with more and different issues.

GT: As an American, can you tell us your experience of engaging with China?

Ueberle: I went to China for the first time in 1984. Imagine how much China has grown! And prior to 1978, China had been closed. And so much has opened for China once it opened its doors. And it's been a perfect time for me to be introduced to and engaged with China. My next trip to China will mark my 163rd visit to China. That's a significant number, and each trip has never been the same. When I first went to China, the Chang'an Avenue had horse carts and bicycles, very few buses and cars.

Once open, things began to change, and I could see China was learning from being open. It was learning from the Chinese coming out, the internationals going in, and the conversations that they were having. I've taken thousands of people to China for conferences, study programs, and to universities. And always, people come away with a new feeling about China-US relations, how meaningful they are, and how important they are for the future. It isn't just China and the US that are having geopolitical discussions. It's China and the world. It's the US and the world. And we must be responsible for our leadership and for our intention because they have impact and bring benefit to everyone. It's not a select group that gets to talk about how the world works. Everyone has a voice and a choice in how they live their lives, create their lives, and make a contribution. We are citizens of the same planet and our voice is important to the choices that are being made. I am optimistic that together we will create a world that works for everyone, with no one left out.