Chapter I　From the Belt and Road to the Polar Silk Road

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which is gradually being understood and accepted by countries along the route, represents a cooperation strategy that will propel China onto the world stage and enable China to take an active part in global governance for the new era. Different from the traditional global governance model dominated by the West, the BRI envisages the building of a community of shared interests, shared responsibility, and shared future, based on mutual political trust, economic integration, and cultural inclusion; therefore, it is a new model and solution for China’s participation in global governance. As the concept of the BRI continues to be accepted with more and more projects implemented on the ground, its connotation and practice have steadily deepened, and its geographic coverage has extended to the Arctic region, giving rise to the Polar Silk Road.