Exclusive Interview with Cui Yiting

Digital Future, Scenario Connectivity, Joint Construction of Happiness ：New Scenarios of the "Belt and Road"

——Exclusive Interview with Cui Yiting, Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of the ANSO Alliance of National and International Innovative Enterprises for the Belt and Road Regions, and Founder of Silk Road Dialogue

As the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) enters a new phase of high-quality development, "this path is evolving from a purely economic corridor into a road of scientific and technological civilization and joint construction of happiness." At the roundtable dialogue during the opening ceremony of the 2025 Belt and Road International Chambers of Commerce and Associations Conference held on November 21, Cui Yiting, Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of  the ANSO Alliance of National and International Innovative Enterprises for the Belt and Road Regions and Founder of Silk Road Dialogue, shared her vision of the BRI's new landscape through three key words: "Digital Future, Scenario Connectivity, and Joint Construction of Happiness."

Focusing on how to shift from "resource matching" to "systematic empowerment" and how to materialize "soft connectivity," "hard connectivity," and "people-to-people bonds" in specific scenarios, Sophia, a reporter from this newspaper, conducted an exclusive interview with Cui Yiting.

I. "From an Economic Road to a Road of Happiness": What Are the Key Changes?

Reporter: You proposed at the conference that the BRI is evolving from an economic road into a road of scientific and technological civilization and happiness. For many people, this represents an expansion of perspective. How do you understand this transformation?

Cui Yiting: If the first decade of the BRI was largely perceived as an "economic development road," entering the phase of high-quality development now requires it to address a more fundamental question:What is the ultimate goal of "connectivity" under new era conditions?

For chambers of commerce, associations, and private enterprises, this means higher requirements—we can no longer limit ourselves to "understanding each other's words" and "matching available resources." Instead, we must further translate these into "visible and tangible" application scenarios. Only when cooperation transforms into real scenarios, into actionable outcomes for enterprises, applicable solutions for cities, and perceptible changes for people, can the BRI truly evolve into a road of scientific and technological civilization and joint construction of happiness.

I have always emphasized that "soft connectivity," "hard connectivity," and "people-to-people bonds" form an organic whole, with none being dispensable: "Soft connectivity" addresses issues of communication, mutual understanding, and alignment of rules; "Hard connectivity" resolves matters related to infrastructure, industries, and the flow of factors of production; "People-to-people bonds" determine how far cooperation can go and whether it can truly translate into enduring trust and shared happiness.

In this sense, the "BRI Road of Happiness" is not a mere decorative phrase but an inherent requirement of high-quality development—each of us involved is a creator, experiencer, communicator, and beneficiary of happiness.

II. "Soft Connectivity + Hard Connectivity + People-to-People Bonds": How to Materialize Them in Specific Scenarios?

Reporter: In your speech, you highlighted a series of platforms, including the "Happiness TECH Meeting," the "International Science and Technology Industry Integration Development Center," the "Digital Intelligent Happiness Micro-Museum," and the "Silk Road International Happiness Week." How do these correspond to "soft connectivity," "hard connectivity," and "people-to-people bonds"?

Cui Yiting: Our approach is straightforward:Instead of limiting ourselves to "holding meetings, taking group photos, and exchanging business cards," we aim to solidify "soft connectivity + hard connectivity + people-to-people bonds" through a set of "scenario matrices."

First, the "Happiness TECH Meeting" serves as the platform for "soft connectivity."

It is a "happiness-oriented" communication space—bringing together international and domestic stakeholders, scientists and entrepreneurs, urban governors and ordinary citizens to sit around the same table. Using mutually understandable language, participants translate "technical jargon" into " policy language, market language, and public language," transforming the question of "whether something can be done" into "how to do it specifically." Many bottlenecks in cooperation stem not from technical infeasibility, but from inadequate communication and unclear rules—this is precisely the gap the "Happiness TECH Meeting" intends to fill.

Second, two platforms underpin "hard connectivity": the International Science and Technology Industry Integration Development Center and the Digital Intelligent Happiness Micro-Museum.

The "International Science and Technology Industry Integration Development Center" focuses on the entire chain of scientific and technological achievement transformation, enabling lab-based innovations to truly enter industrial parks and urban application scenarios. The "Digital Intelligent Happiness Micro-Museum" provides global enterprises with free exhibition and sales spaces as well as sales solutions, creating an experiential and interactive "micro-museum + new retail" scenario. It offers market validation, funding support, and user feedback for technological achievements, accelerating their entire process "from prototype to product, and from exhibition item to commodity."

Both platforms adhere to "two-way opening":Within China, we offer enterprises from all countries opportunities to settle in the micro-museum, allowing them to enter the Chinese market with lower costs and risks.In countries along the Belt and Road, local partners can establish "overseas versions" of the micro-museum, providing Chinese enterprises with the same free exhibition and sales channels for their international expansion.

Third, the "Silk Road International Happiness Week" fosters "people-to-people bonds."

Regardless of changes in development stages, "people-to-people bonds" will always be the deepest foundation of cooperation.

Taking comprehensive international celebrations as the carrier and cities from different countries as basic units, the "Silk Road International Happiness Week" links cities, enterprises, media, and consumers to create a three-dimensional ecological scenario consisting of "eight dimensions and ten types of projects." Through new mechanisms such as festivals, exhibitions, and forums, it enhances people's sense of gain, happiness, and security, showcases Silk Road brands and "international happy city models," serves the high-quality development of the Belt and Road, and builds a borderless, cross-ethnic, and language-free grand gala of happy civilizations.

In essence, this entire design aims to make "soft connectivity, hard connectivity, and people-to-people bonds" visible, usable, and replicable through a "scenario-based" approach.

III. From "Resource Matching" to "Systematic Empowerment": How Should Chambers of Commerce and Associations Upgrade Their Roles?

Reporter: You specifically mentioned at the conference that chambers of commerce and associations should shift from "simple resource matching" to "systematic empowerment." This is particularly important on the platform of the Belt and Road International Chambers of Commerce and Associations Conference. What are your specific considerations?

Cui Yiting: A distinctive feature of this conference is that "it connects global chambers of commerce and associations on one end, and China's most dynamic private enterprises on the other." This structure makes it inherently suitable for delivering "systematic empowerment."

In the past, when we talked about chambers of commerce and associations, we often thought of "bridging connections and matching resources." However, today, enterprises face greater uncertainty and heavier transformation pressures—merely "facilitating more connections" is no longer sufficient.

In my understanding, the new role requires addressing three deeper questions:

1、When enterprises encounter bottlenecks in technological innovation, who will help them connect with global scientific resources?

2、As technological achievements move from prototypes to products and from products to urban applications, who will provide end-to-end transformation support and market path design?

3、In different national and regional markets, who will help enterprises establish low-cost, low-risk scenario entry points for experimentation and channels to connect with consumers?

This is precisely what we aim to address through "one center +two scenarios"：The International Science and Technology Industry Integration Development Center tackles end-to-end issues in the transformation and market application of technological achievements;The Happiness TECH Meeting facilitates communication and collaboration—allowing governments, enterprises, scientific research institutions, media, and the public to engage in dialogue at the same table;The Digital Intelligent Happiness Micro-Museum bridges the gap to markets and consumers—giving products the opportunity to be seen, experienced, and chosen.

In this sense, the ANSO Alliance of National and International Innovative Enterprises for the Belt and Road Regions is no longer merely an intermediary for "resource matching," but has assumed the role of a "systematic enabler" in the global process of advancing scientific and technological civilization and joint construction of happiness—it is not only a bridge and a platform, but more importantly, an organizer of the ecosystem.

During this roundtable dialogue, private enterprises affiliated with the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce (ACFIC) and guests from Armenia and Pakistan vividly outlined a "Silk Road Happiness Corridor" starting from Beijing, passing through the Caucasus, and reaching South Asia: ACFIC and enterprises provide the driving force; Armenia, as a crossroads between Europe and Asia, serves as a junction of civilizations and markets; and Pakistan, relying on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), offers practical scenarios for in-depth cooperation.

If our products, platforms, and the work of chambers of commerce and associations are inherently designed to "enable people to live happier lives," then from the very beginning, they possess the confidence and vitality to navigate through economic cycles.

IV. Outlining the Future Vision of the Belt and Road with "Three Key Words"

Reporter: At the end of your speech, you summarized your understanding of the new scenarios of the Belt and Road with three key words: "Digital-Intelligent Future", "Scenario Connectivity" and "Joint Construction of Happiness". Could you elaborate on them further?

Cui Yiting: These three words are actually the refinement of key concepts for the Belt and Road as it enters a new stage in my view.

First is "Digital-Intelligent Future".

Nowadays, the economic and trade cooperation, infrastructure construction and industrial capacity collaboration under the Belt and Road Initiative are almost inseparable from the in-depth involvement of digital and intelligent technologies. From conference organization to trade matching, and from park operation to urban governance, no link can afford to ignore the power of digitalization and intelligence. Therefore, to me, the future of the Belt and Road will surely be a "Digital-Intelligent Future".

Second is "Scenario Connectivity".

Whether it is a dialogue like today or future projects, we do not want to merely stay at the level of "a pleasant atmosphere and nice group photos". Instead, we need to truly build scenario-based bridges among the three steps: expression of intent, signing of agreements and project implementation.

I often say that all cooperation must ultimately be grounded in tangible scenarios. Where will the pilot projects be launched? Who will be the beneficiaries? And what ways will ensure their sustainable operation? "Scenario Connectivity" is not an abstract concept. Through various carriers such as the International Science and Technology Industry Integration Development Center, Happiness TECH Salon and Digital Intelligent Happiness Micro-Museum, it aims to integrate resources from different countries, cities and entities into concrete and feasible projects.

Third is "Joint Construction of Happiness".

General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized, "Of all the jobs in front of us, the most important is to ensure a happy life for our people." This remark serves as a profound reminder for those of us engaged in building platforms and developing projects. As long as we keep working and contributing to the Belt and Road Initiative, we are not only promoting economic cooperation and cultural exchanges, but also participating in an undertaking closely related to the life of every ordinary person—namely, making happiness a tangible, measurable and collectively built public good.

I have always believed that the Belt and Road is not only a path of economic development, technological progress and cultural exchange, but more importantly, a path of joint discussion, construction and shared benefits centered on happiness. I also hope that starting from this roundtable dialogue at the Belt and Road International Chambers of Commerce and Associations Conference, and from the specific actions of each of us, "Digital-Intelligent Future", "Scenario Connectivity" and "Joint Construction of Happiness" will not just remain a vision, but will be gradually realized and witnessed in more countries, cities and families across the globe.

Reporter's Note

From the systematic design of "soft connectivity, hard connectivity and people-to-people bonds" to the three key words of "Digital-Intelligent Future", "Scenario Connectivity" and "Joint Construction of Happiness", the new scenarios of the Belt and Road depicted by Secretary-General Cui Yiting are not just a combination of projects, but a forward-looking vision of governance and cultural development.

When technology, industry and urban life intersect in real-life scenarios one after another, the next phase of the Belt and Road Initiative may well start with every "concrete and perceptible moment of happiness".

Reporter:Sophia