As these countries become more independent, the US loses influence in the eyes of the international community, and so it is doing all it can to discredit the BRI.

Who should you believe?

When words and numbers collide, the numbers win.

Currently, China's economy is growing three times faster than that of the US. In dollar terms, China is adding about $800 billion per year to the global economy compared to $400 billion from the US.

But perhaps more importantly, the Chinese people are happier with their lives and more hopeful about their futures. According to the Pew Research Center, 96 percent of Chinese said their standard of living was better than that of their parents and 87 percent said they were satisfied with their country's direction.

The Chinese people also trust their government. According to the Edelman Trust Barometer, in 2018 China topped a 28-market ranking of average public trust in institutions. Moreover, the Chinese people's trust in their government reached the barometer's "highest recorded levels" —84 percent of the general public and 89 percent of the "informed public" trusted China's government.

Trust and confidence in the BRI is spreading beyond China's borders, with Italy recently signing an MOU to join. Other major countries in the EU are likely to follow suit as more and more people learn to discriminate misguided distortions from the actual truth of the BRI.