Reference News Network, March 19 report: The Latin American News Agency published an article titled "China's Belt and Road Initiative Enters a New Stage, Bringing Opportunities to Countries of the Global South" on March 16. The author is the agency's chief journalist in China, Yishora Díaz. The article excerpts are as follows:
The Chinese government will strengthen strategic alignment with countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative, promote higher-level connectivity in infrastructure and regulatory standards, and build closer ties with the people of these countries. This was announced in the government work report for 2026. The report emphasized that China will seek high-quality joint construction under the framework of the initiative.
The Belt and Road Initiative proposed by Beijing has entered a more mature stage, with one of the current focuses being deepening strategic alignment with participating countries through the coordinated advancement of "hard connectivity," "soft connectivity," and "heart connectivity." This "three-in-one" concept forms the cornerstone of the current upgrade of the initiative.
"Hard connectivity" focuses on the construction and modernization of physical and logistics infrastructure. "Soft connectivity" emphasizes the alignment of regulations and mechanisms. "Heart connectivity" focuses on personnel exchanges, civilizational dialogue, mutual learning, and fostering respect and trust between societies.
These three forms of "connectivity" reflect the complementarity of large-scale projects and grassroots integration within the Belt and Road Initiative. It is expected that landmark projects will promote local employment, facilitate technology transfer, enhance institutional capacity, and generate multiplier effects in regional economies, while smaller-scale initiatives directly address urgent needs: access to drinking water, primary healthcare, rural electrification, basic education, and food security.
China's overall vision ensures that relevant projects are adapted to the national conditions of each country and promote active participation from local actors, thereby making each project truly contribute to the sustainable development and well-being of partner countries of the Belt and Road Initiative.
The vision of this initiative demonstrates China's commitment to stability, inclusiveness, and win-win cooperation in a turbulent global landscape. For the Global South, it means access to infrastructure and technology, as well as a strategic window to diversify partnerships and enhance autonomous development capabilities within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.
The government work report also pointed out that China will "expand practical cooperation in emerging fields to make the results of cooperation benefit the people of all countries more." Analysts expect that in emerging fields, the Belt and Road Initiative will accelerate cooperation in the digital economy and green development.
China's green cooperation with Latin America has already been realized through specific mechanisms. Landmark projects of the Belt and Road Initiative, such as the joint photovoltaic power stations in Chile, Cuba, and Argentina, wind energy projects in Brazil, and lithium processing cooperation in Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile, illustrate how China combines its supply chain advantages with the key minerals and renewable energy resources of the Latin American region. These collaborations support Beijing's own energy goals and help Latin American countries gain greater value in the clean energy value chain, from raw material extraction to mid-to-lower level processing, local assembly, and technology localization.
China's advanced technological ecosystem provides Latin America with a pathway to diversify its export basket, enhance industrial capacity, and strengthen South-South relations. (Translated by Han Chao)
Original source: toutiao.com/article/7618876172110103080/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.