One Belt, One Road, One World: A Union of International Opportunities

Students and members of the San Francisco community filled the seats in USF’s Xavier Auditorium to listen to a multitude of high-profile speakers discuss the goals and opportunities that come from U.S.-China investment relations.

Deputy Chinese Consulate General of San Francisco Faqiang Ren, left, and USF President Paul J. Fitzgerald, S.J.

Having a deep understanding of (One Belt One Road) and the opportunities OBOR brings today may serve our students well tomorrow.” ~Xiaohua Yang, Director of CBSI

Along with China’s goals for expanding trade in other countries throughout Asia, Europe, and Africa, Yang assures that “EuroAsia is of strategic importance to U.S. multinationals.” With the expansion and success of OBOR will arise a multitude of business opportunities due to the thriving infrastructure. “Improvement in infrastructure could lead to economic growth, increased communication, and international trade and investment that in turn could stimulate industry and consumer demands for many products that U.S. firms can provide,” explained Yang.

Bringing the topic close to home, USF President Paul J. Fitzgerald, S.J., spoke of how 10% of USF students come from different provinces throughout China, and how their academic success at the university is quite significant. Meanwhile, John Lee, founder of JPL Financial, calls OBOR “a global collaboration for world peace.”

“I think we should work for one world--I believe we have one world to share,” said Deputy Chinese Consulate General of San Francisco Faqiang Ren. He explained to the crowd how OBOR was the initiative of the new century, and that it is a “win-win strategy” that will benefit all by allowing the countries to learn from each other, enhance communication, and engage in exploration.

Harvey Dzodin, a columnist for the China Daily, talked about how CBSI “can open up significant business partnerships.” In his presentation, he quoted President Xi Jinping, the president of the People’s Republic of China: “The progress and results of the One Belt One Road initiative have been greater than expected.” Dzodin has high hopes for OBOR, believing that the abundance of opportunities in this specific collaboration of countries is significant. “You have to aim for the stars and go for it,” said Dzodin.