PDF《The Belt and Road Initiative》

173 cooperation agreements with

125 countries and

29 international organizations. The Belt and Road has expanded from Asia and Europe to include more

7 new participants in Africa, Latin America and the South Pacific. 3) Coordination and cooperation in specific fields of the Belt and Road Initiative have progressed steadily. The Digital Silk Road has become an important part of the Belt and Road Initiative. China has launched the Belt and Road Digital Economy International Cooperation Initia- tive with Egypt, Laos, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Thailand, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates. It has signed coop- eration agreements with

16 countries to strengthen the con- struction of the Digital Silk Road. China issued the Action Plan on Belt and Road Standard Connectivity (2018-2020) . It has signed

85 standardization cooperation agreements with

49 countries and regions. The long-term mechanism for tax cooperation between B&

R countries is maturing. China co-organized the Belt and Road Initiative Tax Co- operation Conference (BRITCC) in May 2018, which published the Astana Proposal by BRITCC Participating Jurisdictions for Enhancing Cooperation in Tax Matters , signaling that the cooperation network has expanded to

111 countries and regions. China and

49 B&

R countries pub- lished the Joint Statement on Pragmatic Cooperation in the Field of Intellectual Property Among Countries Along

8 the Belt and Road in August 2018. In July

2018 China hosted the Forum on the Belt and Road Legal Cooperation, which published the Statement of the Co-Chairs of the Fo- rum on the Belt and Road Legal Cooperation . In October

2018 China hosted the Belt and Road Energy Ministerial Conference and

18 countries jointly announced building the B&

R energy partnership. In addition, China published the Vision and Action on Jointly Promoting Agricultural Cooperation on the Belt and Road in May

2017 and the Vision for Maritime Cooperation Under the Belt and Road Initiative in June the same year. China has been a strong proponent of the establishment of international commercial courts and a one-stop diversified resolution mechanism for international commercial disputes. 2. Infrastructure connectivity Infrastructure connectivity is high on the B&

R agenda. While committed to respecting the sovereignty and secu- rity concerns of all relevant countries, B&

R countries have made concerted efforts to build an all-round, multi-level, and composite infrastructure framework centered on rail- ways, roads, shipping, aviation, pipelines, and integrated space information networks. This framework is taking

9 shape rapidly. It has greatly reduced the transaction costs of products, capital, information, and technologies flow- ing between regions, and effectively promoted the orderly flow and optimal allocation of resources among different regions. Thus it will help achieve mutually beneficial coop- eration and common development. 1) Significant progress has been made in the con- struction of international economic cooperation cor- ridors and passageways. The six major corridors for international economic cooperation C the New Eurasian Land Bridge, and the China-Mongolia-Russia, China-Central Asia-West Asia, China-Indochina Peninsula, China-Pakistan, and Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar economic corridors C connect the Asian economic circle with the European eco- nomic circle. They have played an important role in estab- lishing and strengthening connectivity partnerships between participating countries and building an efficient and smooth Eurasian market. C New Eurasian Land Bridge. Over the past five years or so, regional cooperation through the New Eurasian Land Bridge has widened, enhancing partnerships featuring openness, inclusiveness, and mutual benefits to a higher level and driving forward economic and trade exchanges