BRI & China’s Peripheral Playbook: Pursuing Hard, Soft & Heart Connectivity
A couple of days ago, there was an article by Li Xiangyang from CASS in the People’s Daily, discussing the future of BRI across countries along China’s periphery. In today’s edition of the newsletter, I am offering a breakdown of that piece. I think this is a very interesting article, offering some truly useful insights.
Here’s my broad summation of what the article says. In the first section, Li talks about how BRI aligns with the vision of a community of common destiny. He makes theoretical and conceptual arguments in this section. I can summarise these as:
BRI corridors and projects primarily traverse China’s peripheral regions
Silk Road Spirit aligns with Asian values
The vision of BRI and building of a community of shared destiny in the periphery are aligned.
BRI’s underpinning of “righteousness and benefit” conceptually is consistent with China’s peripheral diplomacy concept of “amity, sincerity, mutual benefit, and inclusiveness.”
The principles of extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits guide both BRI and the building of a community of shared destiny with countries in the periphery.
The next few sections are focus on detailing the process of three types of connectivities—hard connectivity, soft connectivity and heart connectivity. Under hard connectivity, Li argues that the future emphasis will be on new-type infrastructure and digital connectivity.
Under soft connectivity, Li argues that the Chinese proposition of ‘rules and standards soft connectivity’ is different from a rules-orientation to a development orientation, which enables participation of developing countries. Moreover, he argues that soft connectivity builds “institutional compatibility and policy coordination, promotes the orderly connection of the multilateral trading system, regional cooperation mechanisms, and the development directions of various countries, and lays solid institutional support and practical foundations for the relevant alignment.”
Finally, as part of heart connectivity, Li talks about the importance of “small but beautiful” projects. He argues that building “heart connectivity” will be a “long-term and arduous task”. The immediate focus is on tangible benefits for people in BRI partner countries, ensuring Chinese enterprises fulfil social responsibilities, and pursuing green-sustainable development. There are also other elements that Li mentions, with the goal being of building “subtle” or imperceptible influence through heart connectivity.
Anyway, here’s a full breakdown. Li begins with this:
“The community of shared destiny in the periphery is an important component of the community of shared destiny for mankind. The Central Conference on Work Relating to the Periphery, convened in April 2025, pointed out: ‘the periphery is an important foundation for achieving development and prosperity, a critical aspect of maintaining national security, a priority for coordinating the overall diplomatic situation, and a key to promoting the building of a community of common destiny for mankind.’ The outline of the 15th FYP proposes: ‘Deepen the integrated development of the periphery, strengthen common security, consolidate strategic mutual trust, and build a community of shared destiny with countries in the periphery’.
In 2013, President Xi Jinping put forward the Belt and Road Initiative. Over the past decade and more, the joint construction of BRI has evolved into a widely welcomed international public good and a platform for international cooperation. Facing the complex situation of profound adjustments in the international political, economic, and security landscape, and the accelerated transformation of the global governance system, using high-quality joint construction of BRI to promote the building of a community of shared destiny in the periphery concerns not only the realization of the two centennial goals, but also concerns promoting global governance and regional governance to develop in the correct direction. We must thoroughly implement the spirit of the Central Conference on Work Relating to the Periphery, carry out well the deployments of the 15th FYP Outline, give full play to the role of joint construction of BRI in propelling the building of a peripheral community of shared destiny, and promote peripheral cooperation to continuously go deeper and become more substantive.” 周边命运共同体是人类命运共同体的重要组成部分。2025年4月召开的中央周边工作会议指出：“周边是实现发展繁荣的重要基础、维护国家安全的重点、运筹外交全局的首要、推动构建人类命运共同体的关键。”“十五五”规划纲要提出：“深化周边发展融合，强化共同安全，巩固战略互信，构建周边命运共同体。”2013年，习近平主席提出共建“一带一路”倡议。十余年来，共建“一带一路”已成为深受欢迎的国际公共产品和国际合作平台。面对国际政治经济安全格局深刻调整、全球治理体系加速变革的复杂形势，以高质量共建“一带一路”助推周边命运共同体建设，不仅关乎“两个一百年”奋斗目标的实现，而且关乎推动全球治理、区域治理朝着正确方向发展。我们要深入贯彻中央周边工作会议精神，落实好“十五五”规划纲要部署，发挥好共建“一带一路”对周边命运共同体建设的助推作用，推动周边合作不断走深走实.
So, Li argues that BRI entails the hard connectivity of infrastructure, the soft connectivity of rules and standards and people-to-people connectivity. “BRI fosters shared development and prosperity between China and countries in its periphery. Among the six major economic corridors under the framework of the Silk Road Economic Belt, with the exception of the New Eurasian Land Bridge Economic Corridor, all others, i.e., the China–Mongolia–Russia Economic Corridor, the China–Central Asia–West Asia Economic Corridor, the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor, the Bangladesh–China–India–Myanmar Economic Corridor, and the China–Indochina Peninsula Economic Corridor are all key projects in the building of a peripheral community of shared destiny. The 21st Century Maritime Silk Road takes China’s coastal regions as its starting point to radiate outward to the periphery, and then extends to other regions of the world. From the perspective of practice, over the past decades and more, the joint construction of BRI has achieved its most notable progress in the periphery. From a geopolitical angle, the joint construction of BRI has natural advantages in promoting the construction of a peripheral community of shared destiny.”高质量共建“一带一路”与构建周边命运共同体在地域空间深度交叠。共建“一带一路”携手周边、惠及周边，推动中国与周边国家共同发展繁荣。在丝绸之路经济带方向的六大经济走廊中，除新亚欧大陆桥经济走廊外，中蒙俄经济走廊、中国—中亚—西亚经济走廊、中巴经济走廊、孟中印缅经济走廊及中国—中南半岛经济走廊都是周边命运共同体建设的重点项目。21世纪海上丝绸之路以中国沿海地区为起点辐射周边，继而扩展至世界其他地区。从实践层面看，过去十余年间，共建“一带一路”在周边进展最为显著。从地缘角度看，共建“一带一路”助推周边命运共同体建设具有天然优势.
The Silk Road Spirit aligns conceptually with Asian values. In May 2017, at the first Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, President Xi Jinping systematically expounded the Silk Road spirit of peace and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning and mutual reference, and mutual benefit and win-win outcomes. The Silk Road spirit is extracted and elevated from the developmental course of the Silk Road stretching over millennia, and possesses a deep historical foundation and strong cultural appeal. China welcomes countries and regions that identify with the Silk Road spirit to participate in joint construction of BRI. In November 2021, at the commemorative summit marking the 30th anniversary of the establishment of dialogue relations between China and ASEAN, China explicitly put forward the joint maintenance and promotion of Asian values; at the Central Conference on Work Relating to the Periphery in April 2025, the core content of Asian values was further summarised as ‘peace, cooperation, openness, inclusiveness.’ Asian values inherit Asia’s long-standing civilisational traditions, crystallise the shared values and concepts of various regional parties, and embody the collective aspirations of Asian peoples for a better life. Surveying the connotations of the Silk Road Spirit and Asian values, the two possess a high degree of consistency.丝路精神与亚洲价值观理念一致。2017年5月，习近平主席在首届“一带一路”国际合作高峰论坛上系统阐述了和平合作、开放包容、互学互鉴、互利共赢的丝路精神。丝路精神从绵延千年的丝绸之路发展历程中提炼升华而来，具有深厚历史底蕴和强大文化感召力。中国欢迎认同丝路精神的国家和地区参与共建“一带一路”。2021年11月，在中国—东盟建立对话关系30周年纪念峰会上，中国明确提出共同维护和弘扬亚洲价值观；在2025年4月中央周边工作会议上，进一步将亚洲价值观核心内容概括为“和平、合作、开放、包容”。亚洲价值观传承亚洲悠久文明传统、凝聚地区各方共同价值理念、汇聚亚洲人民对美好生活的共同向往。综观丝路精神与亚洲价值观内涵，两者具有高度的一致性。
The joint construction of BRI and the vision of the community of shared destiny in the periphery are aligned. At the opening ceremony of the first Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, President Xi Jinping formally proposed the fine vision of building BRI into a road of peace, a road of prosperity, a road of openness, a road of innovation, and a road of civilization. This is highly consistent and is internally unified with the vision of building the community of shared destiny in the periphery into the ‘five major homes’ of peace, tranquility, prosperity, beauty, and friendship. 共建“一带一路”与周边命运共同体愿景契合。习近平主席在首届“一带一路”国际合作高峰论坛开幕式上正式提出将“一带一路”建成和平之路、繁荣之路、开放之路、创新之路、文明之路的美好愿景。这与构建周边命运共同体的建设和平、安宁、繁荣、美丽、友好“五大家园”愿景高度契合，内在统一.
The correct outlook of righteousness and benefit and the concept of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit, and inclusiveness complement each other. In April 2016, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out at the 31st collective study session of the Politburo of the 18th CPC Central Committee that, in advancing the construction of BRI, ‘it is necessary to adhere to the correct view of righteousness and benefit, take righteousness as the priority while giving consideration to both righteousness and benefit, not seek quick success and instant benefits, and not engage in short-term behaviour’. The joint construction of BRI adheres to using ‘righteousness’ to build the foundation of mutual trust, and ‘benefit’ to open up the situation of win-win outcomes, emphasising ‘taking righteousness as the priority while giving consideration to both righteousness and benefit’, and promoting cooperation to proceed steadily and reach far. In October 2013, at the symposium on work relating to peripheral diplomacy, General Secretary Xi Jinping formally put forward the concept of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit, and inclusiveness, which became the basic guideline for constructing the community of shared destiny in the periphery. The correct view of righteousness and benefit establishes the norms of interaction, while the concept of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit, and inclusiveness expands the dimensions of cooperation; the two together constitute the value coordinates and practical framework of China’s peripheral diplomacy in the new era. 正确义利观与亲诚惠容理念相辅相成。2016年4月，习近平总书记在第十八届中共中央政治局第三十一次集体学习时指出，推进“一带一路”建设，“要坚持正确义利观，以义为先、义利并举，不急功近利，不搞短期行为”。共建“一带一路”坚持以“义”筑互信之基，以“利”开共赢之局，强调“以义为先、义利并举”，推动合作行稳致远。2013年10月，习近平总书记在周边外交工作座谈会上正式提出亲诚惠容理念，成为构建周边命运共同体的基本遵循。正确义利观确立交往准则，亲诚惠容理念拓宽合作维度，二者共同构成新时代中国周边外交的价值坐标与实践框架.
Extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits constitute the guiding principles upheld in both the joint construction of BRI and the building of a community of shared destiny with countries in the periphery. In March 2015, President Xi Jinping emphasised in his keynote speech at the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2015: ‘The building of BRI adheres to the principles of extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits. As the principles for the construction of BRI, extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits were written into the Vision and Actions on Jointly Building the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. These principles have since evolved into a pivotal concept guiding China’s engagement in global governance. China put forward GGI, taking the practice of the global governance concept of extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits as the basic guideline. The high-quality joint construction of BRI mandates an unwavering adherence to these principles. Furthermore, the building of a community with a common destiny with countries in the periphery utilizes the high-quality joint construction of BRI as its primary platform. Therefore, the principles of extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits achieve a seamless logical and practical integration across both the joint construction of BRI and the building of a community with a shared future with countries in the periphery. 共商共建共享是共建“一带一路”与构建周边命运共同体奉行的共同原则。2015年3月，习近平主席在博鳌亚洲论坛2015年年会上的主旨演讲中强调：“‘一带一路’建设秉持的是共商、共建、共享原则”。共商、共建、共享作为“一带一路”建设的原则，写入《推动共建丝绸之路经济带和21世纪海上丝绸之路的愿景与行动》。共商共建共享原则进一步升华为中国参与全球治理的重要理念。中国提出全球治理倡议，以践行共商共建共享的全球治理观为基本遵循。高质量共建“一带一路”必须做到始终坚持共商共建共享原则。周边命运共同体建设，以高质量共建“一带一路”为主要平台。共商共建共享，在共建“一带一路”与构建周边命运共同体中实现了逻辑和实践贯通.
In the second section, Li stresses the importance of hard connectivity, since a large number of countries in China’s periphery are developing countries. He writes:
“For a long time, insufficient infrastructure construction in developing countries has severely constrained economic growth. Underinvestment in the infrastructure sector has emerged as a critical challenge facing the majority of developing nations. The reasons for this are twofold: first, the savings rate of developing countries is insufficient to support the demand for infrastructure investment; second, such investments are large in scale, have low direct rates of return, long payback periods, while simultaneously possessing the attributes of a public good—investors cannot appropriate the full returns of investment, and thus lack investment motivation. How to overcome the market failures inherent in the infrastructure sector has long been a persistent and vexing challenge in the realm of international economic cooperation and common development. Within a country, the government can implement macro-regulation, but at the international level there is a lack of similar institutional guarantees. China initiated the joint construction of BRI, promoting its domestic modernization experience of ‘if you want to get rich, first build roads’ and the practical logic of ‘when roads are connected, all industries flourish’ to participating countries through the hard connectivity of infrastructure. Over the past decade and more, under the BRI framework, connectivity construction, particularly the hard connectivity of infrastructure, has become an important bond for cooperation between China and countries in its periphery. Iconic projects such as the China-Laos Railway, the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway, the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway, the railway and highway networks under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the China-Russia oil pipeline, Gwadar Port, and Hambantota Port have benefited the periphery. In recent years, China has become a major trading partner and an important source of investment for countries in its periphery.” 长期以来，发展中国家基础设施建设不足，严重制约经济增长。基础设施领域投资不足成为多数发展中国家面对的重要问题。究其原因，一是发展中国家的储蓄率不足以支撑基础设施投资的需求；二是这类投资规模大、直接回报率低、回收期长，同时具有公共产品属性，投资者无法占有投资全部收益，缺乏投资动力。如何克服基础设施领域的市场失灵现象，一直是困扰国际经济合作与共同发展的现实难题。一国之内，政府可实施宏观调控，但在国际层面缺乏类似制度保障。中国倡议共建“一带一路”，把国内现代化建设“要想富，先修路”的发展经验和“道路通，百业兴”的实践逻辑，通过基础设施“硬联通”推广至共建国家。过去十余年，在共建“一带一路”框架下，互联互通建设特别是基础设施“硬联通”成为中国与周边国家合作的重要纽带，中老铁路、中吉乌铁路、雅万高铁、中巴经济走廊下的铁路与公路网、中俄输油管道、瓜达尔港、汉班托塔港等标志性项目惠及周边。近年来，中国已成为周边国家主要贸易伙伴和重要投资来源地.
“Facing a new round of technological revolution represented by AI, the space for cooperation between China and countries in its periphery in the field of infrastructure construction will be further expanded. In its World Investment Report 2025, UNCTAD notes that due to limited infrastructure, connectivity, and digital capabilities in developing countries, the digital divide between the developing and developed worlds will widen further amidst the new wave of digitalization driven by AI, big data, and cloud computing. In the future, under the framework of joint construction of BRI, cooperation between China and countries in its periphery will realize an expansion from traditional infrastructure construction to new-type infrastructure construction.” 面对以人工智能为代表的新一轮技术革命，中国与周边国家在基础设施建设领域的合作空间将进一步扩大。联合国贸易和发展会议在《2025年世界投资报告》中指出，由于发展中国家基础设施、联接和数字能力有限，在人工智能、大数据、云计算驱动的新一轮数字化浪潮中，发展中国家与发达国家之间的数字鸿沟将进一步加深。未来，在共建“一带一路”框架下，中国与周边国家合作将会实现从传统基础设施建设向新型基础设施建设的扩展.
The next section focuses on soft connectivity. Li writes that:
The alignment of rights and responsibilities is the precondition for cooperation and relies on the effective support of rules and mechanisms. Constructing a community of shared responsibility is indispensable for constructing the community of shared destiny in the periphery. In the field of economic cooperation, signing regional trade agreements is the usual practice for constructing a community of shared responsibility with rules and mechanisms at its core. Up to now, China has signed 24 free trade agreements, nearly half of which are in the periphery, laying a solid foundation for the building of a peripheral community of shared responsibility. At the same time, the ‘soft connectivity’ advocated by the joint construction of BRI expands institutional consensus through the docking of rules and the coordination of standards, broadening the pathways for the construction of a community of shared responsibility. 权利与责任匹配是合作的前提，有赖于规则与机制的有效支撑。构建责任共同体，对构建周边命运共同体而言不可或缺。在经济合作领域，签署区域贸易协定，是构建以规则和机制为核心的责任共同体的通常做法。迄今为止，中国累计签署24项自由贸易协定，其中近一半在周边，为周边责任共同体建设夯实基础。与此同时，共建“一带一路”倡导的“软联通”，通过规则对接与标准协调拓展制度共识，为责任共同体建设拓宽路径.
‘Soft connectivity’ has emerged together with high-quality joint construction of BRI. At the opening ceremony of the first BRI Forum for International Cooperation, President Xi Jinping proposed that ‘it is necessary to promote the integrated connectivity of policies, rules, and standards’; in August 2018, at the symposium marking the fifth anniversary of advancing BRI’s construction, the basic requirement of shifting toward high-quality development was clearly put forward; in April 2019, at the second BRI Forum for International Cooperation, it was further pointed out that the goals of high standards, benefiting people’s livelihoods, and sustainability should be realised, and rules and standards widely supported by all parties should be introduced; in November 2021, at the third symposium on BRI construction, the soft connectivity of ‘rules and standards’ was officially designated as an important pillar. “软联通”与高质量共建“一带一路”相伴而生。在首届“一带一路”国际合作高峰论坛开幕式上，习近平主席提出“要促进政策、规则、标准三位一体的联通”；2018年8月，在推进“一带一路”建设工作5周年座谈会上，明确指出向高质量发展转变的基本要求；2019年4月，在第二届“一带一路”国际合作高峰论坛上进一步指出，实现高标准、惠民生、可持续目标，引入各方普遍支持的规则标准；2021年11月，在第三次“一带一路”建设座谈会上，正式将“规则标准‘软联通’”定位为重要支撑。
“‘Soft connectivity’ adheres to a development orientation. Under the current global governance system, whether it be multilateral cooperation mechanisms or regional cooperation mechanisms, all adhere to the principle of rules-first, manifested as first establishing rules and then carrying out cooperation; what is adhered to is a rules orientation. In terms of procedure, this is a path that conforms to the logic of cooperation, determining in advance the rights and responsibilities of all parties, but it has one potential drawback, namely that the rules themselves also become a kind of entry threshold, excluding a portion of countries—especially least-developed countries—from the cooperation process. Even if most cooperation mechanisms claim to be open, there is a kind of conditional openness. By comparison, ‘rules and standards soft connectivity’ follows a development orientation and adheres to first discussing cooperation and then determining rules. This practice of not pre-setting rule thresholds provides opportunities for all countries, especially underdeveloped countries, to participate in international cooperation, reflecting genuine openness. As cooperation has deepened, the joint construction of BRI has progressively established clear and complete rules and mechanisms. “软联通”奉行发展导向。在当前全球治理体系下，无论是多边合作机制还是区域合作机制，均秉持规则先行原则，体现为先确立规则再开展合作，奉行的是规则导向。在程序上，这是一种顺应合作逻辑的路径，事先确定各方权利和责任，但它有一个潜在的弊端，即规则本身也会成为一种进入门槛，把一部分国家，特别是不发达国家排除在合作进程之外。即便多数合作机制都宣称是开放的，那也是一种有条件的开放。相比之下，规则标准“软联通”奉行发展导向，遵循的是先谈合作、后定规则。这种不预设规则门槛的做法为所有国家，尤其是不发达国家参与国际合作提供了机会，体现了真正的开放性。伴随着合作深化，共建“一带一路”逐步确立了明确完整的规则机制。
Promoting ‘soft connectivity’ is an inherent imperative of joint construction of BRI with high quality. As the primary carrier for the joint construction of BRI, the developmental trajectory of economic corridors reflects the intrinsic link between ‘soft connectivity’ and high-quality development. An economic corridor is defined as a mechanism that links economies situated along a specific route, utilizing transportation lines or distinct geographical features such as rivers and mountain ranges. A dynamic concept by nature, the core function of an economic corridor is to address regional development imbalances. The developmental evolution of economic corridors can be divided into four stages: the first stage is the construction of transportation lines with infrastructure as the core, forming economic corridors in the narrow sense; the second stage focuses on enhancing the radiating effects of transportation lines, causing economic corridors to expand from ‘linear’ to ‘belt-shaped’ form through improving the investment environment and advancing urbanization and industrialization; the third stage is promoting the realization of trade facilitation, fostering the cross-border flow of goods, services, and factors of production; the fourth stage focuses on coordinating the policies and plans of countries along the economic corridors, forming economic corridors in the broad sense. The developmental evolution across the four stages of economic corridors encompasses the process of progressive upgrading from infrastructure ‘hard connectivity’ to ‘rules and standards soft connectivity’, and is an inherent and proper part of high-quality development. 推动“软联通”是高质量共建“一带一路”的内生诉求。作为共建“一带一路”的主要载体，经济走廊的发展方向体现出“软联通”与高质量发展的内在联系。所谓经济走廊，是指通过交通运输线或河流、山脉等特定的地理标识，将沿途经济体联系起来的一种机制。经济走廊是一个动态概念，其核心功能是解决区域间发展不平衡问题。经济走廊的发展变迁可以分为四个阶段：第一阶段是建设以基础设施为核心的交通运输线，形成狭义的经济走廊；第二阶段是聚焦提升交通运输线辐射效应，通过改善投资环境、推进城镇化与工业化，使经济走廊由“线状”向“带状”拓展；第三阶段是推动实现贸易便利化，促进商品、服务和生产要素等的跨境流动；第四阶段重点是协调经济走廊沿线国家政策与规划，形成广义的经济走廊。经济走廊四个阶段的发展变迁，涵盖了从基础设施“硬联通”向规则标准“软联通”递进升级的过程，是高质量发展的题中应有之义.
Furthermore, ‘soft connectivity’ provides the prerequisite conditions for aligning the joint construction of BRI with the existing global governance system. Through rules docking and institutionalized arrangements, it builds the foundation for institutional compatibility and policy coordination, promotes the orderly connection of the multilateral trading system, regional cooperation mechanisms, and the development directions of various countries, and lays solid institutional support and practical foundations for the relevant alignment. 此外，“软联通”为共建“一带一路”与现行全球治理体系的对接提供了前提条件。通过规则对接与机制化安排，构建制度兼容与政策协调的基础，推动多边贸易体制、区域合作机制以及各国发展方向的有序衔接，为相关对接筑牢制度支撑与实践根基.
The final section, unsurprisingly, covers people-to-people connectivity. Li argues that “‘heart connectivity’ has become an important handle for China and peripheral countries to build a community of shared destiny.” “心联通”已成为中国与周边国家构建命运共同体的重要抓手.
“The core meaning of ‘heart connectivity’ is to use people-to-people friendship as a bond to foster emotional understanding and spiritual resonance among the peoples of different nations. In the practice of joint construction of BRI, infrastructure ‘hard connectivity’ has already achieved notable results and gained broad recognition from the international community; ‘rules and standards soft connectivity’ is now entering the implementation stage. How to transform the construction of ‘hard connectivity’ and ‘soft connectivity’ into ‘heart connectivity’ is a long-term and arduous task. In the future it will be necessary to accelerate the promotion of this process at two levels: first, to uphold the correct view on righteousness and benefit, promoting the sustainable development of the joint construction of BRI; second, to roll out more ‘small but beautiful’ projects to achieve the goal of benefiting people’s livelihoods. “心联通”的核心要义是以人民友好为纽带，实现不同国家人民间情感相知、心灵相通。在共建“一带一路”的实践中，基础设施“硬联通”已经取得明显成效，获得国际社会的广泛认同；规则标准“软联通”正步入实施阶段。如何把“硬联通”与“软联通”建设转化为“心联通”，则是一项长期而艰巨的任务。未来需要在两个层面加快推动这一进程：一是秉承正确义利观，促使共建“一带一路”可持续发展；二是推出更多“小而美”项目，实现惠民生目标.
“Upholding the correct outlook of righteousness and benefit, and adhering to taking righteousness as the priority while giving consideration to both righteousness and benefit, means that the joint construction of BRI is not a purely commercial cooperation mechanism, nor is it simply a foreign aid project. Precisely because it adheres to the organic unity of ‘righteousness’ and ‘benefit’, the joint construction of BRI with high quality, while bringing tangible benefits to partner countries, also enhances the sustainability of its own development. For example, through connectivity construction it ‘teaches people how to fish’; by implementing the Guiding Opinions on Central Enterprises Fulfilling Social Responsibility to High Standards in the New Era, it guides ‘going out’ enterprises to better fulfill social responsibility in international cooperation along industrial and supply chains, assisting the economic and social development of partner countries; by constructing a Green Silk Road, it effectively promotes the sustainable development of co-building countries; and so on.” 秉持正确义利观，坚持以义为先、义利并举，意味着共建“一带一路”不是纯粹的商业合作机制，也不是单纯的对外援助项目。正因为坚持“义”和“利”有机统一，高质量共建“一带一路”在为共建国家带来实际利益的同时，又提升自身发展的可持续性。比如，通过互联互通建设“授人以渔”；贯彻《关于新时代中央企业高标准履行社会责任的指导意见》，引导“走出去”企业在产业链供应链国际合作中更好履行社会责任，助力共建国家经济社会发展；构建绿色丝绸之路，切实推动共建国家可持续发展；等等.
In October 2023, at the opening ceremony of the Third BRI Forum for International Cooperation, President Xi Jinping emphasised that it is necessary to coordinate the advancement of landmark projects and ‘small but beautiful’ livelihood projects. Large-scale infrastructure projects have the characteristics of long investment cycles and slow results, and the public lacks a tangible sense of them in the short term. By contrast, ‘small but beautiful’ livelihood projects not only require less investment and yield quick results, and involve more diversified participants, but more importantly can directly improve people’s livelihoods, raise the quality of people’s lives, and enhance social inclusiveness and cohesion. In addition, promoting ‘heart connectivity’ also requires strengthening cooperation and exchanges across multiple fields such as science and technology, education, culture, health, tourism, and think tanks, giving play to the effect of shaping things imperceptibly/creating subtle influence. 2023年10月，习近平主席在第三届“一带一路”国际合作高峰论坛开幕式上强调，将统筹推进标志性工程和“小而美”民生项目。大型基础设施项目存在投资周期长、见效慢的特征，民众在短期内缺少实在的感知。相比之下，“小而美”民生项目不仅投资少、见效快，参与主体更加多元，更重要的是能够直接改善民生，提升民众生活质量，增强社会包容性与凝聚力。此外，促进“心联通”还需要加强科技、教育、文化、卫生、旅游、智库等多领域的合作与交流，发挥“润物细无声”的功效.
At present, the global landscape and order are undergoing unprecedented changes. Taking joint construction of BRI as an important platform, promoting the construction of the community of shared destiny in the periphery has already taken a key step. As a testing ground for constructing the community of shared destiny for mankind, constructing the community of shared destiny in the periphery still needs to continue expanding and deepening cooperation across multiple fields such as partnerships, security architecture, economic development, people-to-people exchanges, and the ecological environment. 当今全球格局和秩序正在发生前所未有的变化，以共建“一带一路”为重要平台，推动构建周边命运共同体已经迈出了关键的一步。作为构建人类命运共同体的试验田，构建周边命运共同体仍然需要从伙伴关系、安全格局、经济发展、人文交流、生态环境等多领域继续拓展并深化合作.