虽然经济上共享至关重要，但建立文化、体育和心理层面的互信关系同样必不可少，我们应当为我们的后代子孙构建出一个宜居的世界
文I 爱德华·博阿滕(H. E. Mr. Edward Boateng) 加纳共和国驻华大使 翻译I 王晓波
在过去的几十年中，中国以人为本，取得了渐进式发展，将国家提升至一个令世界羡慕的水平，并成为了全球贸易、制造和发展方面的重要力量。中国平等、互惠、共同发展的立场和理念也很有吸引力。尊重国家主权是中国外交政策的重要组成部分，并得到了非洲国家的信赖，一些政府已经开始试图吸纳中国的做法，看看“中国特色的社会主义”如何能够帮助他们也实现国家发展。
2013年，中国提出了“一带一路”倡议，习近平主席将其称为“世纪工程”，主要指的是通过中亚、西亚和非洲将中国与欧洲连接起来的丝绸之路经济带。这一发展议程被认为是二十一世纪最伟大的多边贸易政策之一，将对全世界的发展产生积极影响。“一带一路”倡议旨在借助于修建公路、铁路、电信、港口以及其它方式的经济联结确保货物和服务的自由流动，从而谋求各国间共享和均衡的发展与繁荣。
许多学者、外交官和商界人士都认为这一特殊的地缘经济政策已经将中国推到了全球领导者的重要地位，因而中国在国际事务上也拥有了更强有力的话语权。毫无疑问，非洲国家都希望能积极参与到“一带一路”倡议中，因为现在中国是非洲最大的贸易和发展伙伴，在过去的十年里，双方已经共同参与到一些旨在缩小非洲与发达国家差距的发展和工业化项目中。
中国已经为修筑铁路、港口、发电站和其它基础设施投资了数百亿美元，这使得“一带一路”倡议已经走出了乌托邦的设想阶段，成为实现和可能。2014年12月，丝路基金成立，资本金约400亿美元，足见中国对这一倡议的重视。他们不仅将其看作是中国自己牵头的计划，而且把它看作是全球的计划，如果大家都行动起来的话，将会为世界发展带来非常积极的成果。此外，中国提出的“人类命运共同体”这一鼓舞人心的理念也与2017年联合国第55次社会发展委员会上做出的决议相呼应，揭示了“一带一路”倡议会对世界产生的深远影响。
在刚刚结束的中国共产党第十九次代表大会上，习近平总书记在其讲话中再次重申了中国“坚持和平发展道路，推动构建人类命运共同体”的愿望，而且“中国特色的社会主义”作为习近平的思想也已经被写进了党章。
⬆加纳布维水电站的资料照片
“一带一路”倡议为包括加纳在内的非洲国家，发展工业和其他经济领域提供了机遇和条件。非洲拥有世界上约30%的自然资源，这一共同开发未来的方案对非洲经济的发展至关重要且密切相关，它为非洲国家提供了中国的技术和知识，并通过双方签署协议助推非洲大陆的发展，为非洲人民的利益谋福祉。加纳在2017年5月签署协议加入了“一带一路”倡议，这是一个非常重要的决策，为加纳获得该倡议下的发展机遇铺平了道路。“一带一路”倡议在许多方面都将帮助加纳，促进纳纳·阿库福-阿多政府通过制定经济友好政策实现产业革命的愿景，比如“一县一厂”项目在一定程度上模仿了中国的“一带一路”倡议；“一村一坝”项目与中国的“一村一品”的做法很相似。
中国在基础设施建设和发展方面的成功经验非常值得大多数发展中国家，特别是非洲国家学习和借鉴，加纳就属于这样的国家。随着技术进步和全球化，中国似乎已经在非洲越来越赢得人心。过去，世界银行和国际货币基金组织是加纳获得资金的主要渠道，但是现在中国不仅为加纳及其他非洲国家提供了另一种发展模式，同时也给予了他们资金方面的帮助。中国为加纳展现出了新的贸易与发展合作机遇，如果加纳能够及时抓住并且利用得当的话，将可以发展成为西非地区的工业中心。一方面加纳为中国商品提供了市场，另一方面加纳的农产品也可以出口到中国这一巨大的市场。
随着“一带一路”倡议的向前推进，中国必将会通过陆上和海上的丝路将世界各地的市场连接起来。这一倡议计划在欧亚大陆、拉丁美洲、亚洲、大洋洲和非洲共投资约9000亿美金。中国作为产业中心将通过这一倡议帮助加纳对其各港口进行升级改造，确保它能融入和适应“一带一路”倡议的一体化体系。这将会使加纳成为其所处区域的关键国家之一，凭借港口贸易，吸引发展所需的外商投资，推动国家战略规划的实现。同样重要的是，“一带一路”倡议的目标不仅聚焦了各国的经济合作，也非常注重国家间的文化合作。显然，当不同的文化在一起相处和融合时，每一个国家都应对其合作方的特质和敏感之处有所了解和认识。我相信，随着社会各阶层间文化交流的深入和加强，“一带一路”倡议将在更大范围实现“共商、共建、共享”。
虽然经济上的共享在未来发展中至关重要，但建立文化、体育和心理层面的互信关系同样必不可少，因为它对于消除负面观点——认为中国是在利用非洲的资源——很有帮助。构建人类命运共同体能够减少社会中存在的弊端，有助于遏制非法移民，并且使整个世界变得更加人道。纳纳·阿库福-阿多总统倡导建设这样一个新世界，“所有孩子都有足够的食物，能去学校上学，找到工作，成为国家的合法公民，并为社会创造价值、取得成功。”“一带一路”倡议无疑具备为此发挥重要作用的能力和前景。
我们肩负着这样的责任，我们应当为我们的后代子孙构建出一个宜居的世界。“一带一路”倡议体现的正是共享未来这一美好憧憬。〔Godfred Sowah Khartey, 厦门大学硕士研究生，对此文也有贡献 〕（编辑：常浩）
Building a Shared Future Through the Belt and Road Initiative
By H. E. Mr. Edward Boateng, Ambassador Extraordinaire and Plenipotentiary the Republic of Ghana in China
China’s progressive developmental people-centered agenda over the last few decades has elevated the country to an enviable state where it is arguably the global power in trade, manufacturing and development. China’s stance on equality, reciprocity, mutuality and economic co-development is also attractive. The desire to respect the sovereignty of nations, which forms the main strand of its foreign policy agenda has also gained credence in Africa. Several governments have now sought to open up to the Chinese agenda and see how “Socialism with Chinese Characteristics” will assist them achieve their own agenda.
In 2013, the leadership of China, proposed the Belt and Road Initiative, the ‘Project of the Century’ as President Xi Jinping called it, which largely refers to the Silk Road Economic Belt which links China with Europe through Central and Western Asia and Africa.This developmental agenda seen as one of the greatest multilateral trade policies of the 21st Century will affect the development of the world positively. The Belt and Road Initiative as explained seeks to bring about shared and balanced development and prosperity through the creation and establishment of road, railway, telecommunications, sea port and other connectors of economies to ensure a free flow of goods and services.
Many scholars, diplomats and business minds have posited that this particular geo-economic policy has propelled China into a global leadership role and given China a much stronger voice at the global table. It is therefore not surprising the way Africa is positioning herself too to participate in the Belt and Road Initiative. China is currently Africa’s biggest trading and development partner and has over the last decade engaged in several developmental and industrialization programmes towards bridging the gap between Africa and the developed world.
With hundreds of billions of dollars of Chinese money expected to be invested in railways, ports, power stations and other infrastructure, the Belt and Road Initiative has come out of that utopian stage to one of reality and possibility. The Silk Road Fund which was created in December 2014 with a capital of about $40billion is a testament to the seriousness China attaches to this programme. They do not just view it as a Chinese led programme but a global one with positive consequences when all hands are put to the plough. Additionally, the intriguing Chinese concept of “A Community with Shared Future for Mankind” was incorporated into the United Nations resolution at the 55th UN Commission for Social Development (CSocD) in 2017. It shows the far-reaching effect the Belt and Road Initiative has already garnered on the world.
In his remarks at the just ended 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, Xi Jinping reiterated the desire of China to go along a road of peace, building a community of shared development for mankind. It is thus not so surprising that President Xi Jinping’s thoughts, “Socialism with Chinese Characteristics” have now been enshrined in the CPC constitution.
The Belt and Road Initiative provides for Africa and for that matter Ghana, the chance and opportunity to develop its industries and other sectors of the economy. With Africa home to about 30% of the world’s natural resources, this shared future project is critically germane to the development of African economies since it offers insight into how Africa can tap from Chinese technological knowledge and also establish agreements to aid the continent properly and in the interest of its citizens. It was thus important that Ghana signed to join the BRI in May 2017, paving the way for her to access the developmental opportunities that this policy offers. The BRI in so many ways will help shape and drive the industrial revolution that the government of President Nana Addo-Dankwa Akufo-Addo seeks to achieve through its economic friendly policies such as the One District One Factory (1D1F) which in a way mimics China’s BRI, and the One Village, One Dam, akin to China’s One Village, One Product concepts.
China’s rise with regards to its infrastructure and development has become a lesson and reference point for most developing countries especially those in Africa and Ghana is one of such countries. With the increase in technology and globalization, China seems to have won the hearts of many in Africa. Traditionally, the World Bank and the IMF have been Ghana’s source of financing. China, however now serves as an alternative developmental model and source of finance to Ghana and other African countries. China presents Ghana with an alternative trade and developmental partnership which, if properly managed, has the potential to transform Ghana into the industrial hub ofWest Africa. Just as Ghana has served as a market for Chinese goods, so too do the Chinese represent a huge market for Ghanaian agricultural products.
With the advent of the Belt and Road Initiative, driving at achieving shared prosperity, China aims at connecting all the markets of the world through road and sea routes. This initiative is expected to see about USD$900billion in investments across Eurasia, Latin America, Asia, Oceania and Africa. The focus of China as an industrial hub through the BRI will see the sea ports of Ghana being upgraded to ensure a proper integration into the system the BRI hopes to achieve. This will make Ghana arguably one of the pivotal countries in the sub-region with regards to trade along the sea ports thereby driving the needed foreign direct investment to push the developmental agenda. It is also of great importance to note that in achieving the goal of the Belt and Road Initiative, the focus should not only be on the economic cooperation of countries but also the cultural cooperation of these countries. It is evident that with the exposure to different cultures, a country empathizes with the sensitivities and idiosyncrasies of the nations it does business with. The Belt and Road Initiative I believe, will achieve a greater shared future and economic prosperity with the enhancement of cultural exchanges at all levels of society.
Inasmuch as the focus on achieving a shared economic future is important, it is also necessary that we do so taking into consideration the building of trusted cultural, sports and psychological partnerships. This will go a long way to demystifying the notion that China is in Africa to exploit her resources. Building a shared future invariably minimizes the ills of society, helps curb illegal migration and makes the world more humane. The Belt and Road Initiative has the ability and prospects to play a critical role in the new world as espoused by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. “A world order where children will have enough to eat, go to school, get jobs and be citizens, productive in the societies they come from.”
We owe it to posterity, we owe it to generations yet unborn to make this world one worth living. The Belt and Road Initiative has signaled that hope of a shared future.
（Godfred Sowah Khartey, a Masters Student of Xiamen University also contributed to this article）