Energy infrastructure interconnection becomes the focus of cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative

China Energy Storage Network News : On April 21, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Commerce jointly issued the "Vision and Actions on Jointly Building the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road" (hereinafter referred to as the "Vision and Actions"), and energy infrastructure interconnection cooperation was listed as a key cooperation area.

Adhering to the principles of open cooperation, harmony and inclusiveness, market operation, mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, the Chinese government proposes that countries along the Belt and Road promote pragmatic cooperation in all aspects to build a community of interests, a community of destiny and a community of responsibility with political mutual trust, economic integration and cultural inclusiveness.

The Vision and Actions pointed out that according to the direction of the Belt and Road Initiative, relying on international major channels on land, supported by central cities along the route, and using key economic and trade industrial parks as cooperation platforms, we will jointly build international economic cooperation corridors such as the New Eurasian Continental Bridge, China-Mongolia-Russia, China-Central Asia-West Asia, and China-Indochina Peninsula; with key ports as nodes at sea, we will jointly build smooth, safe and efficient major transportation channels. The China-Pakistan and Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar economic corridors are closely related to the promotion of the Belt and Road Initiative, and we must further promote cooperation and make greater progress.

Countries along the Belt and Road have different resource endowments and strong economic complementarity, so there is great potential and space for mutual cooperation. The Vision and Actions clearly states that policy communication, infrastructure connectivity, unimpeded trade, financial integration, and people-to-people bonds should be the main contents, and efforts should be made to promote several key areas of cooperation. In the cooperation of infrastructure connectivity, the Vision and Actions emphasizes the need to strengthen the construction and operation management of green and low-carbon infrastructure, and to fully consider the impact of climate change in construction. The Vision and Actions also points out that it is necessary to strengthen cooperation in energy infrastructure interconnection, jointly maintain the safety of transportation channels such as oil and gas pipelines, promote the construction of cross-border power and transmission channels, and actively carry out regional power grid upgrade and transformation cooperation. In terms of mutual investment among countries along the route, the Vision and Actions proposes to actively expand investment areas, increase cooperation in the exploration and development of traditional energy resources such as coal, oil and gas, and metal minerals, actively promote cooperation in clean and renewable energy such as hydropower, nuclear power, wind power, and solar energy, promote cooperation in the processing and transformation of energy resources locally and nearby, and form an integrated upstream and downstream industrial chain of energy resource cooperation. Strengthen cooperation in deep processing technology, equipment and engineering services for energy resources. In addition, in terms of cooperation in emerging industries, new energy, new materials, etc. are listed as key areas for in-depth cooperation and it is hoped that the establishment of a venture capital cooperation mechanism will be promoted.

Over the past year, the Chinese government has actively promoted the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, strengthened communication and consultation with countries along the route, promoted pragmatic cooperation with countries along the route, implemented a series of policy measures, and strived to reap early results. Under the leadership and promotion of high-level leaders, a broad consensus has been reached on jointly building the Belt and Road Initiative. my country has signed memorandums of cooperation on jointly building the Belt and Road Initiative with some countries, and memorandums of regional cooperation and border cooperation as well as medium- and long-term development plans for economic and trade cooperation with some neighboring countries. In the fields of infrastructure connectivity, industrial investment, resource development, economic and trade cooperation, financial cooperation, cultural exchanges, ecological protection, and maritime cooperation, a number of key cooperation projects with mature conditions have been promoted.

In the future, in the process of promoting the construction of the "Belt and Road", China will give full play to the comparative advantages of various regions in China, implement a more proactive opening-up strategy, strengthen the interactive cooperation between the east, middle and west, and comprehensively improve the level of open economy. In view of the different location characteristics of my country's northwest, northeast, southwest, coastal areas, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, and inland areas, the plan also further arranges the opening-up situation of various regions in my country.