Chinese and foreign experts discuss high-quality co-construction of the “Belt and Road” in Wenzhou, Zhejiang

China News Service, Hangzhou, October 10 (Bao Mengni) On October 10, as one of the Mingde Strategic Dialogue (2026) series of activities, the 2026 Wenzhou Business Development Dialogue and the Zhejiang Province “Belt and Road” Think Tank Forum opened in Wenzhou, Zhejiang. 10 former political figures, scholars and think tank experts from 7 countries, as well as Wenzhou business representatives gathered together to build ideological consensus for the healthy and high-quality development of the private economy and the high-quality construction of the "Belt and Road".

Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jenny Shipley noted that during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, China paid attention to the development of electric vehicles, robots, AI and other fields. Nowadays, the wave of related industries is sweeping the world, and China is standing at the forefront of development.

She believes that the external environment is changing rapidly, and companies need to build confidence and identify emerging opportunities. In addition, the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" has benefited many emerging economies and formed new cooperative relationships. Each economy should focus on common prosperity rather than differences.

Wang Wen, president of Wenzhou Business School, dean of the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University of China, and dean of the Global Leadership Institute, also believes that the joint construction of the “Belt and Road” initiative has a logic that transcends Westernization and emphasizes diversified connections with all parts of the world.

He said that the past ten years were only the initial stage of jointly building the Belt and Road Initiative, and there is still huge room for growth in the future. He suggested that Chinese entrepreneurs should improve their cross-cultural communication skills, learn language and cultural skills, and strengthen exchanges with overseas political figures and outstanding enterprises to adapt to the new requirements of high-quality joint construction of the "Belt and Road Initiative."

Zhejiang is an important birthplace of China’s private economy and an open window for in-depth participation in the joint construction of the “Belt and Road”. During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, Zhejiang had more than 2,400 direct investment projects in countries co-building the "Belt and Road". However, how should Zhejiang businessmen respond to the current geopolitical adjustments, rising external uncertainties, changes in international rules, and accelerated digital transformation?

Lan Jianping, a member of the Party Committee and Vice President of the Zhejiang Provincial Development and Planning Institute, believes that Zhejiang enterprises should leverage the advantages of industrial clusters to build a resilient and secure dual-cycle global product supply chain; leverage the advantages of channel platforms to shape new advantages in the international market by relying on the three-dimensional network of land, sea and air; leverage the advantages of new foreign trade formats, expand diversified channels, and deepen institutional openness.

Dong Xuebing, deputy dean of the Institute of Strategy and Regional Development of Zhejiang University and director of the Future Regional Development Laboratory of the Yangtze River Delta Smart Oasis Innovation Center, said that investment selectivity related to the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" is constantly increasing, and project management needs to move from "meticulous" to "precision." "When projects go global, they must consider debt sustainability, business feasibility, and geo-risk exposure. It is recommended that companies focus on small but beautiful people's livelihood projects." Dong Xuebing said.

Talking about the international public opinion challenges that Chinese companies face when going overseas, Ryan Perkins, founder of the "Global Economic Indicators" analysis platform and international relations expert, pointed out that Chinese companies face two contradictory narratives in Europe, that is, at the bottom economic level, European companies urgently need Chinese products, services and investment; at the upper financial or political level, China is regarded as a competitor.

He suggested that Chinese companies should focus on establishing close business ties with European companies at the bottom economic level to meet their actual needs, so as to cope with the difficulties caused by political friction at the top.