The Belt and Road Initiative: Past, Present, Future

By: Gao Xiang and Kostas Gouliamos and Liu Zuokui and Christos Kassimeris

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Synopsis: This open access book presents the main theme which advances the significance of cultural dialogue between China and Europe. The essence of the historical ties between China and Europe has resurfaced, much because of the Belt and Road Initiative launched in 2013 by China’s President Xi Jinping. The Belt and Road Initiative aims to bring China closer to Europe, Africa, and other parts of the world, as well as to connect certain parts of Asia into a huge network of countries through both land and maritime corridors. While the concept originally dates back to the Han Dynasty some 2,000 years ago, when the Silk Road developed into an ancient network of trade routes connecting Imperial China to the markets of the Mediterranean, the Belt and Road Initiative is better defined as a far more holistic approach. As per China’s Policy Paper on the European Union, one of the main aims of the Belt and Road Initiative is to “uphold inter-civilization dialogue and harmony in diversity to facilitate mutual learning between the Chinese and European civilizations”. It is precisely this mutual learning between the Chinese and European civilizations that the present book seeks to explore by means of delving into the historical aspect of intercultural dialogue and between China and Europe, while also proposing a prognosis of how the guiding principles of China–EU relations will develop with regard to inter-civilization dialogue.