Page 3 - ON BUILDING A HUMAN COMMUNITY WITH A SHARED FUTURE

ADVANCING THE BRI

prosper through exchange.
—Mutual learning. The ancient Silk Road was not just for trade.
They also boosted flows of knowledge. Through these routes, Chinese
silk, porcelain, lacquer work, and ironware found their way to the West,
while pepper, flax, spices, grapes, and pomegranates entered China.
Through these routes into China came Buddhism, Islam, and Arab
astronomy, calendar systems, and medicine; while back the other way
flowed China’s four great inventions and silkworm breeding. More
important were the new ideas spurred by the exchange of goods and
know-how. Buddhism, for instance, originated in India, blossomed in
China, and was enriched in Southeast Asia. Confucianism, which was
born in China, gained the appreciation of European thinkers such as
Leibniz and Voltaire. Herein lies the appeal of mutual learning.
—Mutual benefit. The ancient Silk Road bore witness to bustling
scenes of emissaries and traders streaming in both directions over land
and innumerable ships calling to ports at sea. Along these major arteries,
capital, technology, and people flowed freely, and goods, resources, and
benefits were widely shared. The prosperous cities of old — Alma-Ata,
Samarkand, Chang’an, and the ports of Sur and Guangzhou, thrived.
As did the Roman, Parthia, and Kushan Empires. The Han and Tang
Dynasties of China entered a golden age. The ancient silk routes brought
prosperity to these regions and boosted their development.
History is the greatest teacher. The glory of the Silk Road shows
that no geographical distance is insurmountable. Just as long as we have
the courage to take the first step toward each other, we can embark on
a path toward friendship, shared development, peace, harmony, and a
better future.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Friends,
From a historical perspective, humankind has reached an age of
great progress, great transformation, and profound changes. In this
increasingly multi-polar, economically globalized, digitized, and culturally
diverse world, the trend toward peace and development grows only
stronger and reform and innovation continue to surge ahead. Never have
countries been so closely connected as they are today, never have people

445