“一带一路”问与答（三）——“一带一路”与社会发展

1．有共建“一带一路”国家民众称，中资涌入使其对经济和就业保障感到担忧，新创造的就业机会被外来的中国工人占据。中国侨民也没有融入当地社群，赚了钱就汇回中国，未惠及当地经济。请问如何评价相关观点？

共建“一带一路”旨在促进中国同其他共建国家的共同发展。十年来，中国企业在共建国家的境外经贸合作区已累计投资3979亿元人民币，在东道国创造了数十万个就业岗位，并从增加财政税收、助力脱贫事业、带动产业升级等多个方面为当地经济社会发展作出了巨大贡献。以中巴经济走廊为例，截至2023年1月，中巴经济走廊已累计为巴基斯坦带来254亿美元的直接投资，累计实现营收175.5亿美元，累计缴纳税收21.2亿美元，累计为巴基斯坦创造23.6万个就业岗位。

中资企业高度重视相关项目用工和人员管理的属地化。以肯尼亚蒙内铁路建设项目为例，超4万人参与了该项目的建设工作，其中当地员工占比超过90%。中资企业秉持“授之以鱼，不如授之以渔”的发展理念，一方面通过“结对子”“传帮带”的方式，由经验丰富的中国师傅向当地徒弟传授技术本领和工作要领，从而帮助当地项目用工人员尽快成长为成熟的产业工人；另一方面还通过“鲁班工坊”等校企合作平台，实现职业技能教育与职教人才就业的有机衔接，从而显著增加了当地高技能人才数量，提高了当地的人力资本质量。

此外，共建“一带一路”中，中资企业在开展务实合作的同时，还注重对当地的回馈，通过捐建学校道路等民生基础设施、为当地贫困学生设立奖助学金等形式的社会公益实践，履行企业社会责任，和当地社会建立良好公共关系，结下了深厚的跨国情谊。

2．一些非政府组织针对中国在拉美参与投资的“一带一路”项目进行了调查，指其存在非法解雇、违反劳动法等侵犯劳工权利的情况。请问对此有何回应？

中国政府历来高度重视保护劳动者的合法权益，并出台了《中华人民共和国劳动合同法实施条例》《对外劳务合作管理条例》《对外承包工程管理条例》等一系列的行政法规。2019年4月，中国交通运输部、人力资源和社会保障部、应急管理部与国际劳工组织在“一带一路”框架下签署了3份合作文件。

中资企业在“走出去”的过程中，日益重视、切实遵循东道国法律以及人权、劳工相关国际公约，其海外用工管理也在不断规范化、制度化。例如，中国长江三峡集团有限公司在秘鲁的海外经营过程中，就从践行平等雇佣原则、消除职业歧视，严格审查机制、杜绝雇佣童工和强制劳动，坚持同工同酬，制订《内部劳动守则》，健全职业健康管理体系，开展安全与职业病预防培训，建立平等畅通的沟通渠道、尊重并积极满足员工合法合理诉求等多个方面切实保障员工权益。同时，中资企业还结合自身实际，建立了相应的职务晋升机制，实现了员工个人职业发展和公司发展的共同进步。

此外，中资企业切实尊重国际员工和当地员工的文化传统和宗教习俗，为员工提供形式多样的人文关怀，如组织开展文体活动、在中国和当地节日期间举行中外员工联谊活动，以增进员工对于企业的归属感和向心力。中国石油在伊拉克的项目管理部门特别在油田现场主营地设置祈祷室，为国际雇员和当地雇员礼拜提供方便。

中国同其他伙伴国家共同呼吁“一带一路”合作的所有市场参与方遵守联合国全球契约，切实保障和维护劳动者合法权益。

3．有报告称，由于与中国政府关系紧密，中国企业往往能凭借难以想象的低价快速占据共建“一带一路”国家的市场，使当地企业遭遇恶性竞争。请问对此有何回应？

“一带一路”倡议的原则是共商、共建、共享。双赢、共赢才是倡议的初衷。

首先，从中国出口的商品占据了一部分市场份额，这符合市场竞争的客观规律。中国商品畅销全球，靠得既不是强权、也不是贸易保护政策，而是商品本身的市场竞争力，而这种竞争力来源于中国产业链上下游的关联配套能力和整个制造业的规模效应和集聚能力。消费者可通过自己的喜好选择符合自己需求的产品。如果因此而怨声载道、竖起高高的壁垒，那就是全球化的倒退了。

其次，中国企业与当地企业的竞争是良性的，不仅能促进当地企业提升效率，还可改善当地经济。中国改革开放以来，大量海外商品涌入中国市场，中国积极学习国外优秀经验和技术，不断调整产业政策、优化产业布局、加强技术创新，最终建成了自己独具特色的产业体系。此外，不少“一带一路”项目采用的是合资方式，中国企业和当地企业同时获利，并未阻碍当地企业发展。

“一带一路”倡议实施以来，中国同“一带一路”相关国家货物贸易额累计超过5万亿美元，对外直接投资超过700亿美元，为相关国家创造了数十万个就业岗位。当前，单边主义、保护主义抬头，经济全球化遭遇逆流，对世界经济复苏构成了巨大阻碍。中国始终拥护全球化、深度参与全球化，我们不仅对外提供优质的商品和服务，也同样积极扩大开放，让中国大市场成为世界大机遇。

4．近年来，在部分共建“一带一路”国家，一些恐怖组织对中国公民进行了袭击，请问将如何保障海外中方人员安全？中方是否担心相关事件会打击国内人员去海外参与建设的积极性？

中国政府坚决反对并强烈谴责一切形式的恐怖主义。中国政府高度重视海外中方人员、项目和机构的安全保障工作。近年来，中国政府不断完善中央、地方、驻外使领馆、企业、公民“五位一体”的大领保格局，努力形成以领事保护建设为核心、央地协同、官民并举、内外并重的多层次、立体化海外安保体系，持续构建“海外平安中国”。值得一提的是，2014年9月2日，中国外交部正式开通外交部全球领事保护与服务应急热线12308，并于2018年9月上线了12308手机应用客户端，从而进一步畅通了海外中国公民第一时间获得外交部和驻外使领馆领事保护与协助的渠道。截至2022年9月，12308热线接听各类来电咨询近270多万通，已成为连接海外同胞和中国政府之间的一条全天候的亲情热线。

此外，联合国大会和联合国安理会也相继通过决议，呼吁国际社会为包括“一带一路”在内的区域发展倡议提供安全保障，巴基斯坦、印度尼西亚等“一带一路”共建国家积极响应，多次表示高度重视并将全力保障中方人员、项目和机构安全。例如，巴基斯坦为中巴经济走廊建设制订了四层安保计划，并专门为走廊安保成立了一支1.5万余人的特别安全部队。同时，中国还与吉尔吉斯斯坦等“一带一路”共建国家成立了共建“一带一路”安全保障联合工作组，并建立了由中国驻当地大使馆、东道国相关部门和当地中资企业共同参与的“一带一路”建设安全保障三方联席会议机制。

为进一步加强对于海外中国公民、项目和机构的安全保障，中国政府愿同“一带一路”共建国及有关各方就加强国际协调和执法安全开展合作。

5．随着数字“一带一路”建设加速推进，中国的视频监控技术迅速占据沿线国市场。有观点称这不仅将帮助当地政府加强统治，还会带来隐私保护、数据安全等方面的问题。请问中方对此作何评论？

首先，数字“一带一路”建设是全球产业演进的必然规律。数字经济是继农业经济、工业经济之后的主要经济形态，推动人类经济形态由工业经济向信息经济—知识经济—智慧经济形态转变，极大地降低社会交易成本，提高资源优化配置效率，提高产品、企业、产业附加值，推动社会生产力快速发展，同时为落后国家后来居上实现超越性发展提供了技术基础。大力推动共建数字“一带一路”，有助于弥补沿线国家的数字鸿沟，补齐沿线国家的发展短板，作为产业升级的“加速器”、应对疫情冲击的“减震器”，数字领域合作正为“一带一路”共建国家与地区经济社会共同发展带来新的战略机遇与合作需求。

其次，中国与共建国家的数字“一带一路”建设，更加侧重于对沿线国家数字基础设施和数字素养、数字能力的提升。比如，在海缆建设方面，“亚非欧1号”洲际海底光缆标志性项目投入运营；在陆缆建设方面，依托运营商之间合作，构建大量跨境光缆；在新基建方面，数据中心、云计算中心等也有一些布局，中国—东盟信息港、中阿网上丝绸之路全面推进，“数字丝路地球大数据平台”实现多语言数据共享。可以说，通过加强与中国在数字领域的技术合作，共建国家的数字基础设施得到了极大的改善，数字治理能力的短板逐渐补齐。这些技术援助不仅有助于增强共建国家在数字时代的内生发展能力，还有助于推动全球数字公平。

再次，中国在全球数字规则方面更多是参与者、接受者。从全球范围来看，从第二代数字贸易规则开始，美国就将“跨境数据的自由流动”作为推进的核心诉求。数字经济领域的全球规则也主要是“美式模板”和“欧洲模板”。在数字经济国际合作领域，中国更多是西方规则的被动接受者。

最后，中国政府高度重视数据资源的开发利用、隐私保护、跨境数据流动、域外管辖权、网络安全、平台责任与平台治理等问题。2017年，中国开始实施《网络安全法》，2022年《反垄断法》迎来了颁布实施以来的首次修改。中国国内的数字治理，已为隐私保护和数据安全做出了积极的探索，与中国开展数字经济合作完全可以放心。

1. Question: Some citizens of the BRI participating countries have expressed concerns that the influx of Chinese capital makes them worried about their economic and employment security, as the newly created jobs are taken by incoming Chinese workers. Chinese expatriates have not been integrated into local communities, and they are sending money back to China without benefiting the local economy. What is your comment on this viewpoint?

Answer: The aim of jointly building the Belt and Road is to promote the common development of China and other participating countries. Over the past decade, Chinese enterprises have cumulatively invested RMB 397.9 billion in overseas economic and trade cooperation zones in participating countries, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs in host countries. They have made significant contributions to local economic and social development by increasing fiscal revenue, helping with poverty alleviation, and driving industrial upgrading. Taking the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor as an example, as of January 2023, the corridor has brought a cumulative direct investment of USD 25.4 billion to Pakistan, achieved cumulative revenue of USD 17.55 billion, paid cumulative taxes of USD 2.12 billion, and created 236,000 jobs for Pakistan.

Chinese-funded enterprises attach great importance to the localization of employment and personnel management for related projects. Taking the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway project in Kenya as an example, over 40,000 people participated in the construction of this project, with local employees accounting for more than 90%. Chinese-funded enterprises adhere to the development philosophy of “teaching a man to fish rather than giving him a fish”. On one hand, they use methods such as “pairing up” and “mentorship” to have experienced Chinese masters teach local apprentices technical skills and work essentials, thereby helping local project workers quickly grow into skilled industrial workers. On the other hand, through school-enterprise cooperation platforms like “Luban Workshop”, they achieve an organic connection between vocational skills education and employment of vocational education talents, thereby significantly increasing the number of highly skilled local talents and improving the quality of local human capital.

In addition, in the process of jointly building the Belt and Road, Chinese-funded enterprises, while engaging in pragmatic cooperation, attach importance to giving back to the local communities. They fulfill their corporate social responsibilities through social welfare practices such as donating to schools and roads, setting up scholarships and grants for local impoverished students, establishing good public relations with the local society, and fostering profound transnational friendships.

2. Question: Some NGOs investigating China’s Belt and Road projects in Latin America have alleged that there have been illegal dismissals and violations of labor laws in the projects, which infringes on the workers’ rights. What is your response to these allegations?

Answer: The Chinese government has always attached great importance to protecting the legitimate rights and interests of workers, and has issued a series of administrative regulations such as the Regulations on the Implementation of the Labor Contract Law of the People’s Republic of China, the Regulations on the Administration of Overseas Labor Cooperation, and the Regulations on the Administration of Contracting for Overseas Projects. In April 2019, the Ministry of Transport of China, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, the Ministry of Emergency Management, and the International Labour Organization signed three cooperation documents under the framework of the BRI.

In the process of “going global”, Chinese-funded enterprises are increasingly paying attention to and strictly abiding by the laws of the host countries as well as international conventions related to human rights and labor. Their overseas labor management is also becoming more standardized and institutionalized. For example, during its overseas operations in Peru, China Three Gorges Corporation effectively safeguarded employee rights in multiple aspects such as adhering to the principle of equal employment, eliminating occupational discrimination, implementing strict review mechanisms to prevent child labor and forced labor, and insisting on equal pay for equal work. It formulated the Internal Labor Code, improved the occupational health management system, and conducted safety and occupational disease prevention training. It has also established equal and smooth communication channels, respected and actively met the legitimate and reasonable demands of the employees. At the same time, Chinese-funded enterprises have also established corresponding promotion mechanisms based on their actual conditions, achieving mutual progress in the employees’ personal career development and the corporate growth.

In addition, Chinese-funded enterprises respect the cultural traditions and religious customs of international and local employees, providing various forms of humanistic care for employees, such as organizing cultural and sports activities, and holding Sino-foreign fellowship activities during Chinese and local festivals to enhance employees’ sense of belonging and cohesion towards the enterprises. The project management department of China National Petroleum Corporation in Iraq has specially set up a prayer room at the main site of the oil field to facilitate worship for international and local employees.

China, together with other partner countries, has called on all participants in the BRI cooperation to comply with the ten principles of the United Nations Global Compact, and to effectively protect and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of workers.

3. Question: Reports indicate that due to close ties with the Chinese government, Chinese enterprises can often quickly capture the markets of countries participating in the BRI with unimaginably low prices, causing local enterprises to face cutthroat competition. What is your response to this?

Answer: The principles of the BRI are extensive consultation, joint construction, and shared benefits. Win-win cooperation is the original intention of the initiative.

First of all, the fact that goods exported by China occupy some market share conforms to the objective laws of market competition. Chinese goods are popular worldwide, not because of coercion or trade protection policies, but due to their own market competitiveness. This competitiveness stems from the upstream and downstream linkage capabilities of China’s industrial chain and the scale and agglomeration effects of the entire manufacturing industry. Consumers can choose products that meet their needs based on their preferences. If this leads to complaints and high barriers, it would be a regression of globalization.

Secondly, the competition between Chinese enterprises and local enterprises is positive, not only promoting local enterprises to improve efficiency but also contributing to the local economy. Since China’s reform and opening-up, a large number of overseas goods have flooded into the Chinese market. China has actively learned from excellent foreign experiences and technologies, continuously adjusted its industrial policies, optimized its industrial layout, and strengthened technological innovation, eventually establishing its own unique industrial system. In addition, many BRI projects adopt a joint venture approach, where both Chinese enterprises and local enterprises profit, without hindering the development of local enterprises.

Since the implementation of the BRI, the cumulative goods trade volume between China and the BRI participating countries has exceeded USD 5 trillion, and foreign direct investment has surpassed USD 70 billion, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs in relevant countries. Currently, unilateralism and protectionism are on the rise, and economic globalization is encountering headwinds, posing significant obstacles to the recovery of the world economy. China has always supported globalization and deeply participated in it. We not only provide high-quality goods and services to the outside world, but also actively expand our openness, making China’s large market a great opportunity for the world.

4. Question: Over recent years, in some countries jointly building the Belt and Road, some terrorist organizations have attacked Chinese citizens. How will the safety of Chinese personnel overseas be protected? Is the Chinese side concerned that such incidents might discourage its domestic personnel from participating in overseas projects?

Answer: The Chinese government firmly opposes and strongly condemns all forms of terrorism. The Chinese government attaches great importance to the security of Chinese personnel, projects, and institutions overseas. Over recent years, the Chinese government has continuously improved the comprehensive protection framework involving central and local governments, embassies and consulates abroad, enterprises, and citizens. Efforts have been made to form a multi-layered and comprehensive overseas security system centered on consular protection, with coordination between central and local authorities, joint efforts of officials and civilians, and balanced attention to both domestic and international aspects. With all that, we have continuously been building the overseas aspect of the Peaceful China Initiative. It is worth mentioning that on September 2, 2014, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs officially launched the Global Consular Protection and Service Emergency Hotline 12308, and in September 2018, the 12308 mobile application was launched, providing further channels for overseas Chinese citizens to obtain consular protection and assistance from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and embassies and consulates abroad in a timely manner. As of September 2022, the 12308 hotline has received nearly 2.7 million calls of various inquiries, becoming a 24/7 hotline connecting overseas compatriots and the Chinese government.

In addition, the United Nations General Assembly and the United Nations Security Council have passed resolutions successively, calling on the international community to provide security guarantees for regional development initiatives including the BRI. Pakistan, Indonesia, and other participating countries have actively responded, and have repeatedly expressed that they attach great importance to and will make every effort to ensure the safety of Chinese personnel, projects, and institutions. For example, Pakistan has formulated a four-tier security plan for the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and has established a special security force of more than 15,000 personnel specifically for the corridor’s security. At the same time, China has established a joint working group on Belt and Road security cooperation with participating countries such as Kyrgyzstan, and has set up a tripartite joint meeting mechanism for Belt and Road construction security, involving the Chinese embassy in the host country, relevant departments of the host country, and local Chinese-funded enterprises.

To further strengthen the security protection of overseas Chinese citizens, projects, and institutions, the Chinese government is ready to cooperate with Belt and Road participating countries and relevant parties on enhancing international coordination, law enforcement and security.

5. Question: With the accelerated advancement of the Digital Silk Road, China’s video surveillance technology has rapidly occupied the markets of countries along the route. Some argue that this will not only help local governments strengthen their rule but also bring about issues related to privacy protection and data security. What is the Chinese side’s comment on this?

Answer: First of all, the construction of the Digital Silk Road is an inevitable trend in the evolution of global industries. The digital economy is the main economic form following the agricultural economy and industrial economy. It promotes the transformation of human economic forms from industrial economy to information economy, knowledge economy, and wisdom economy. It greatly reduces social transaction costs, improves the efficiency of resource optimization and allocation, and increases the added value of products, enterprises, and industries. It also drives the rapid development of social productivity, and provides a technological foundation for backward countries to achieve leapfrog development. Vigorously promoting the construction of the Digital Silk Road helps bridge the digital divide in participating countries, and address developmental shortcomings. It acts as an accelerator for industrial upgrading, and serves as a cushion against the shock of COVID-19. Cooperation in the digital field is bringing new strategic opportunities and cooperation demands for the economic and social development of the BRI participating countries and regions.

Secondly, the construction of the Digital Silk Road by China and participating countries focuses more on enhancing the digital infrastructure, digital literacy, and digital capabilities of the countries along the route. For example, the landmark project “Asia-Africa-Europe 1” intercontinental submarine optical cable has been put into operation, and a large number of cross-border optical cables have been built through cooperation between operators. In the field of new infrastructure, there are also some layouts for data centers and cloud computing centers. The China-ASEAN Information Harbor and the China-Arab Online Silk Road are being fully promoted, and the “Digital Silk Road Big Earth Data Platform” enables multilingual data sharing. It can be said that through strengthening technical cooperation with China in the digital field, the digital infrastructure of participating countries has been greatly improved, and the shortcomings in digital governance capabilities have gradually been addressed. These technical aids not only help enhance the endogenous development capabilities of participating countries in the digital age but also contribute to promoting global digital equity.

Thirdly, China is more of a participant and recipient in global digital rules. From a global perspective, since the second generation of digital trade rules, the United States has made the “free flow of cross-border data” a core demand. The global rules in the digital economy field are mainly based on the American model and the European model. In the field of international cooperation in the digital economy, China is more of a passive recipient of Western rules.

Finally, the Chinese government attaches great importance to issues such as the development and utilization of data resources, privacy protection, cross-border data flow, extraterritorial jurisdiction, cybersecurity, platform responsibility, and platform governance. In 2017, China began to implement the Cybersecurity Law, and in 2022, the Anti-Monopoly Law underwent its first revision since its promulgation and implementation. As China’s domestic digital governance has seen positive explorations in privacy protection and data security, cooperation with China on the digital economy can be advanced with complete confidence.