President Xi Jinping announces the start of the roundtable of the Belt and Road Forum on Monday in Beijing.[Photo by Ma Zhancheng/Xinhua]

BEIJING -- A high-level forum in the Chinese capital has reassured the world that the Belt and Road Initiative is not just empty talks or an influence-seeking strategy, but a pursuit of common development that is reaping early results.

In his Sunday address to the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, Chinese President Xi Jinping mentioned a series of high-profile achievements under the initiative such as cooperation agreements signed between China and over 40 countries and international organizations.

Xi also pledged more Chinese commitments such as an additional 100 billion yuan (14.5 billion U.S. dollars) to the Silk Road Fund, showing that the Belt and Road is not only a grand vision, but also down-to-earth action.

Is this initiative a China-centered plan? The answer is no.

The Belt and Road is an initiative based on the Silk Road spirit that features peace and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning and mutual benefit.

"Initiative" means taking the lead; getting the ball rolling. The Chinese funding is like a seed and a catalyst. China has kicked off the initiative, but it is up to others to join and play the game together.

Xi said in his speech, "The pursuit of the Belt and Road Initiative is not meant to reinvent the wheel. Rather, it aims to complement the development strategies of countries involved by leveraging their comparative strengths."

The Belt and Road is an open initiative that can be aligned to the existing world order and domestic development strategies of different countries.

Xi ensured to the world that China is "ready to share practices of development with other countries," but has "no intention to interfere in other countries' internal affairs." China "will not resort to outdated geopolitical maneuvering," but intends to achieve "a new model of win-win cooperation."

At the Belt and Road Forum, heads of state and government leaders from 30 countries and delegates from more than 130 countries and international organizations sit down together contributing wisdom to the building of a new model of cooperation.

Xi said the ills of the modern-day world fall into three "deficits" in terms of peace, development and governance respectively, and called them "a daunting challenge" for humanity.

The Belt and Road Initiative, an open and inclusive platform, can serve as a sound solution to world challenges and a solid path toward a community of shared future for mankind.