China's Belt and Road Initiative and Building the Community of Common Destiny

China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has attracted growing attention from around the world since it was first announced. It is, along with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), a critical instrument for realizing what the Chinese government calls the Community of Common Destiny (CCD).

The core idea presented in this volume is that the CCD represents a new paradigm for promoting regional collaboration in socio-economic development, and plays a crucial role in reshaping the international geopolitical landscape. Contributors show that the belief in common development and common security transcends differences in cultural tradition and pre-existing level of development. This belief underlies the commitments among countries and regions participating in the BRI to working closely together in pursuit of shared and sustained prosperity.

The chapters are based on papers presented at "Building the Community of Common Destiny between China and Its Neighbors: Challenges and the Future", an international forum co-organized by the National Institute for Global Strategy of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the University of International Relations (China). Thirty experts from more than twenty countries have contributed to this volume.