BEIJING, May 13 (Xinhua) -- As the curtain rises on the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation and the eyes of the world turn to Beijing, the naysayers circle like buzzards.
There is no shortage of fearmongers ready to throw cold water on the plan. Is the Belt and Road (B&R) really "the most important public goods China has provided to the world" as Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi declares, or is it just good old-fashioned Western-style hegemony with Chinese characteristics?
Critics exaggerate fears raised in some countries and choose to highlight the difficulties some projects have encountered. Pessimism sells more newspapers and draws more clicks than stories of success.
At a Senate hearing on global threats Thursday, U.S. national intelligence director Dan Coats identified the Silk Road initiative as "aggressive," as quoted by AP. "They clearly have a strategy," said Coats.
Strategy? Of course. Aggressive? Everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion, but only the fearful see a threat where none is intended.
The hegemony concern is groundless and unnecessary. China opposes hegemony and has said so countless times. China harbors no intention to control or threaten any other nation. China needs no puppet states. China does not indulge in "regime change" either regionally or globally and is not about to begin to do so.
The new Silk Road plan is not and will never be neocolonialism by stealth. Nor will China use the success of the initiative to undermine the influence of others and jeopardize the regional stability upon which the nation's astonishing successes have been built.
Now and in the future, seeking spheres of political influence is not on the agenda of China, which treats all countries, big or small, as equals. China's watchwords in diplomacy are "mutual respect" and "non-inference" in the domestic affairs of other countries.
Focusing on connectivity, the B&R initiative prioritizes infrastructure, the number one requirement of so many countries struggling for development. Industrial cooperation, through extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, will remain a pipe dream without the infrastructure to transport goods and raw materials, without the power supply to drive production, and without basic improvements to the lives of those people most in need.
The word "initiative" is key. The building of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road must be a joint project. This is an open and inclusive plan rather than a selfish strategy to serve China's own interests at the expense of others. "Initiative" means taking the lead; getting the ball rolling. China has kicked off the initiative, and it is now up to others to play the game.
As China assumes its responsibilities as the world's second largest economy, it is only right and proper that the nation should propose sustainable development with others in an era of irreversible globalization.
The new Silk Road plan is all aboveboard. It is exactly what it appears to be: a win-win paradigm for all participants. That's why China earnestly welcomes all countries to join in, to build a community of shared future for mankind. A community of shared future is not just an empty idea, it is a fact of nature. The destinies of nations across the world are intertwined and interdependent. We can all pull together, or we can pull ourselves apart.
Those who hesitate, possibly wary of China's rise, should abandon their qualms and lose no time to share the great opportunity. Join the expanding circle of friends of the initiative. Nepal, the latest country to be welcomed into the fold, inked its cooperation agreement with China on Friday.
The B&R initiative is a fresh and energizing force to fix the world at a time when the world is greatly in need of fixing. The weaknesses and flaws in an old-style global economy are obvious to all as the world struggles to recover from crisis after crisis and meltdown after meltdown. Developing countries have a right to sustainable growth. If they want globalization, then globalization they shall have.
As China rises toward national rejuvenation and its economy undergoes structural changes, the B&R initiative brings enormous potential for cooperation between China and countries along the routes. Growth for one can mean growth for all.
The forum comes at the proper time, a time when fears must be dismissed, when leaders and delegates must build consensus and plan for a shared future.
The Belt and Road forum is not an occasion to assert a new hegemony, but an opportunity to bring an old one to an end.
评论：中国“一带一路”倡议是披着外衣的霸权主义？
新华社北京５月１３日电 伴随“一带一路”国际合作高峰论坛的启幕，全球目光转向北京，那些爱唱反调的人士犹如秃鹰一般聚拢过来。
不乏对这一计划泼冷水的恐惧散布者。“一带一路”真如中国外交部长王毅所说是“中国给世界提供的最重要公共产品”，还是带有中国特色的老式西方霸权？
批判者夸大了在一些国家引起的担忧，强调了某些项目遇到的困难。悲观主义总能比成功的故事卖出更多报纸，吸引更多点击。
美联社报道说，星期四举行的参议院关于全球威胁的听证会上，美国国家情报总监丹·科茨称丝绸之路倡议“咄咄逼人”。“他们明显有一个战略。” 科茨说。
战略？当然。咄咄逼人？每个人有权发表自己的见解，但是，唯有胆怯者才在本来就没有威胁的地方看到威胁。
霸权的担忧没有根据，也没有必要。中国反对霸权，并且已经反复说过这一点。中国不想控制或者威胁任何其他国家。中国不需要傀儡国家。中国不会参与地区或全球范围的“政权更迭”，也没有打算要开始这么做。
这一新的丝绸之路计划现在不是，将来也绝不会是隐蔽的新殖民主义。中国不会用倡议的成功来损害别人的影响力，来威胁中国惊人发展奇迹所依赖的地区稳定。
现在和将来，谋求势力范围都不是中国的议程。中国平等对待所有国家，无论大小。中国外交的关键词是“互相尊重”、不干涉他国内政。
“一带一路”倡议重点是互联互通，优先基础设施领域，这正是许多国家致力于发展的首要条件。在共商、共建和共享原则下，没有运输货物和原料的基础设施，没有推动生产的电力供应，没有最需要的人们的生活基本改善，产业合作将无法实现。
“倡议”一词是关键。建设丝绸之路经济带和２１世纪海上丝绸之路必须是一个共同的项目。这是一个包容、开放的计划，而不是服务中国利益、损害他人利益的自私战略。“倡议”意味着牵头，让行动继续。中国提出了倡议，现在需要和别人一起推进。
作为全球第二大经济体，中国履行自己的责任。在不可逆转的全球化时代，中国与世界一起推动可持续发展是合理而且正当的事情。
这一新的丝路计划完全光明正大。如它看起来的那样，倡议对所有参与者都是双赢的。因此，中国真诚欢迎所有国家加入，来建设人类命运共同体。命运共同体不是空谈，是自然的事实。世界各国命运相互交织、相互依赖。我们可以齐心协力，也可以分裂掣肘。
那些可能警惕中国崛起的犹豫者，应该放弃忧虑，不失时机地参与这一伟大机遇。加入倡议不断扩大的朋友圈。星期五，尼泊尔与中国签署合作协议，成为最新加入“一带一路”的国家。
“一带一路”倡议是改善全球治理的一股新鲜力量，当今世界非常需要改进治理。旧世界经济体系的弱点和缺陷显而易见，世界努力从一个个危机中走出。发展中国家需要可持续的增长。如果他们需要全球化，他们将拥有全球化。
中国正在崛起，走向民族复兴。中国经济经历结构性转型。“一带一路”倡议给中国和沿线国家合作带来巨大的潜力。一个国家的增长可能意味着所有国家的增长。
举行论坛恰逢其时。一些担忧需要消除。各国领导人和代表需要凝聚共识，规划共同的未来。
“一带一路”论坛不是宣称新霸权的场合，而是结束旧霸权的机会。
