Although complaints about the transparency of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects have been multiplying since it was put forth, there is no reason to be rattled by such biased views.
Skeptics have been overstating the risks of opaque financial deals, violation of public procurement rules and corruption in the projects. But it can be unfair to come up with such conclusions without knowing what really have happened over the past six years.
When implementing the BRI, China has been following the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits.
The principle has been carefully followed, leaving no room for backdoor deals or corruption, since China knows only too well that such practices undermine the fairness and efficiency of the projects.
In July 2018, at the Forum on the Belt and Road Legal Cooperation, participants agreed to strengthen anti-corruption cooperation to ensure integrity in the BRI process.
In addition, China and 27 other countries jointly adopted the Guiding Principles on Financing the Development of the Belt and Road, which highlighted the importance of building a transparent financing environment.
China has enhanced cooperation with international institutions to promote the BRI, including the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, of which adherence to market rules and international norms is a fundamental principle.
To ensure transparency of the BRI projects, the Chinese government encouraged participating enterprises to release relevant information to the public. It has also urged companies to abide by the local laws and regulations when carrying out overseas projects.
So far, a total of 126 countries and 29 international organizations have signed BRI cooperation documents with China, a remarkable result which is impossible to achieve without a transparent and clean mechanism.
Clean governance is the moral principle of Belt and Road cooperation, and no party should cross the red line, according to an official report issued ahead of the ongoing Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation.
As China has vowed to ensure integrity in the BRI process, the mechanism is expected to operate in good order and provide vast opportunities for participants. Doubters simply miss their part by sticking to their biased views.
