Second, although President Xi has urged the countries involved to enhance policy communication, improve transport connectivity, facilitate trade and investment, promote local-currency trade settlement and strengthen friendly people-to-people exchanges, these will not be easy.

The Silk Road comprises 3 billion people that live in countries with different cultures and national conditions. They will have to seek out common interests and show willingness and determination to overcome their differences. Traffic, trade and currency connectivity are not purely economic issues, they are also related to economic, political and security interests. Without compromises, no agreements will be reached. In addition, there are also some disputes over territory and resources in some parts of the region, which add to the difficulty in forging greater unity.

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The establishment of a Silk Road economic belt is a grand and long-term project that will benefit regional countries and people. It is unrealistic to expect quick success and instant benefits; the initiative needs to carefully advance step by step. Only by winning recognition and support from people throughout the region will it succeed and be able to play a positive role. All the countries involved must bear in mind that they are all masters and beneficiaries of this project.

Although the Silk Road economic belt has been proposed by China, its successful implementation needs the strength, wisdom and support of people throughout the region and must be based on voluntary, equal participation and joint construction.

The driving force for the establishment of the Silk Road economic belt is the common interests of regional countries. It is an open cooperation initiative that welcomes the participation of other countries, regional cooperation mechanisms and international financial institutions. Therefore, it will have no exclusiveness, nor target another country, nor will it compete with any other country or replace an existing mechanism.

China needs to strengthen communication with regional countries, take into consideration their concerns, seek common interests and find ways acceptable to all parties to realize these common interests. Russia is an important strategic partner of China and it has important influence in the region, which used to be part of the Soviet Union. China should strengthen communication with Russia, promote coordination between the planned economic belt and the region's existing cooperation mechanisms, and boost cooperation through benefit sharing and compensation. At the same time, cooperation with the United States and Europe should not be excluded.

The author is associate professor at the Institute of Russian, East European and Central Asian Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.