Consultation marks the first step toward promoting the ambitious initiative, and means the countries concerned should first reach consensuses on how to advance the initiative. During visits to other countries, Xi has repeatedly stressed the need to explore how to dovetail the different development strategies of countries along the routes with that of China, demonstrating that the initiative is not for China's development strategy alone, and but also for the common development of other countries.

From the perspective of its advocated principles regarding the initiative, China by no means intends to impose its own strategy on other countries and what it has stressed instead is finding the best model for cooperation based on mutual respect.

In the area of social and cultural exchanges, China under Xi's leadership has also made active efforts to enhance communication and friendship with the rest of the world. Aside from a series of measures to robustly promote personnel exchanges in various fields, the Chinese president has also taken advantage of his visits overseas to conduct a distinctive diplomacy characterized by diplomatic charm.

Over the past three years since taking office, Xi has visited more than 50 countries around the world, demonstrating to foreign audiences first hand his diplomatic wisdom and charm.

The colloquial expressions and vivid examples Xi uses to communicate with ordinary people in other countries have not only elevated China's soft power but also made people in other countries more aware of China's sincerity.

"A country will not necessarily pursue hegemony after becoming powerful, and China's rise will bring security other than insecurity to the world", Xi said. If the concept of a "community of shared destiny" becomes firmly entrenched among all countries, China's rise can be realized in a peaceful manner, and the Thucydides trap between an established and rising power can be avoided.

The author is deputy director of the Institute of Asian Studies, China Foreign Affairs University.