Maya Majueran Photo: Courtesy of Majueran

China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) has emphasized a commitment to pursuing high-quality Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) cooperation. According to the newly published plan, China should strengthen strategic alignment with Belt and Road partner countries and better coordinate and manage cooperation programs. China should also enhance connectivity in terms of both infrastructure and rules and standards and foster closer bonds with the people in these countries. 

Overall, the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) positions BRI as a chorus of mutual growth. By aligning with higher-standard international rules and fostering practical cooperation, China aims to deepen market connectivity and two-way investment with BRI partners. This strategic emphasis on high-quality BRI cooperation is designed to create a more predictable and balanced framework for global development, making the outcomes of these collaborations a key space to watch in the coming years.

From my personal perspective, over the next five years, the China-proposed BRI is poised to deepen its focus on fostering greater interconnectivity and self-reliance within the Global South. The strategic goal is to build a more resilient and diversified network of trade, supply chains, and investment that links them directly to one another. This enhanced "South-South cooperation" aims to create a parallel economic ecosystem where the Global South can achieve stronger, more independent growth driven by its own collective markets and resources.

The high-quality BRI cooperation also signals an evolution of the BRI toward a more integrated, sustainable, and innovation-driven phase. A key and interesting aspect of this vision is how the BRI will be intrinsically linked with various fields of innovation, moving beyond traditional infrastructure to build a foundation for future-oriented collaboration.

A primary area of global innovation cooperation under BRI is in science, technology, and the digital economy. This involves deepening cooperation in such areas as artificial intelligence (AI), big data, cloud computing, and smart cities. For example, Chinese companies could collaborate with peers in BRI partner countries on the use of AI by advocating for open-source models and platforms, thus providing BRI partner countries with accessible, adaptable tools to build their own AI capabilities. They could also foster joint research and talent development in AI field. 

It is expected that the new Five-Year Plan will encourage the establishment of more joint laboratories, research and development centers, and a robust technology transfer network among BRI partner countries, aiming to create a collaborative ecosystem for scientific advancement.

Significant opportunity 

Under the guidance of China's new development blueprint, the next five years present a significant opportunity to deepen BRI collaboration between China and Sri Lanka, and the wider South Asian region.

China's commitment to promoting high-standard opening-up and creating new horizons for mutually beneficial cooperation will foster a favorable environment for mutual growth. For Sri Lanka, this means building on the strong foundation of existing projects. The highly progressing Hambantota Port, bolstered by its new role as a thriving industrial hub, alongside the continued development of the Colombo Port City, can be further expanded. Future cooperation is also set to broaden into new economic sectors like green development, the digital economy, and modern agriculture.

In the past five years, China's opening-up policy, along with various transportation channels built on the foundation of BRI framework, has been creating a direct pathway for developing countries to reach the vast Chinese consumer market. This policy allows distinctive commodities such as coffee from Rwanda, avocados from Kenya, and tropical fruits from Thailand and Cambodia to efficiently enter Chinese market, turning these countries' comparative advantages into tangible export revenues.

The article was compiled based on an interview with Maya Majueran, director of Belt and Road Initiative Sri Lanka (BRISL), a Sri Lanka-based organization that specializes in BRI cooperation