The Theoretical System of Belt and Road Initiative and its Implications for Bulgaria and Central & Eastern Europe

ZHANG, Yaojun (40294773@qq.com)

Mr. Zhang was born in Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region of China in September 1973, graduated from Peking University in 2002. From 2002 to 2017, he had been working in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, and had been posted to Bangkok of Thailand and Calgary of Canada. 

Mr. Zhang is now a Professor in the China Academy of Belt and Road Initiative of Beijing International Studies University of China (BISU). His main fields of study are Cultural Diplomacy, Multilateralism, Central & Eastern Europe Area Studies of B&R Initiative. Professor Zhang is also the co-author of the book The Theoretical System of Belt and Road Initiative (English Version).

Research Overview

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), first proposed in 2013 by Chinese president Xi Jinping, has now come into its seventh year. In October 2020, the fifth plenary session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China formulated the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025), reaffirming the importance of promoting and cooperating on the high-quality development of the BRI.

The BRI has not only provided a new channel for China’s reform and opening up policy, but also provided a platform for international cooperation to boost global economic recovery, growth and development. With the concerted efforts of all stakeholders, the “Belt and Road” Initiative has become a popular international public good and the world’s largest international cooperation platform. 

Given that the COVID-19 pandemic is still spreading globally and that countries are facing the dual challenges of fighting the pandemic and recovering economically, the joint promotion of BRI cooperation has a more prominent significance due to its inherent theoretical and practical characteristics.