Belt and Road proves global flexibility outshines rigid rules

Editor's Note:After a decade of transformative infrastructure projects, what's next for the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)? Can its success in infrastructure be replicated in other sectors? In fact, this expansion is already underway. This series titled "Building Lasting Value in Belt and Road Cooperation" gathers insights from top scholars and analysts on how the BRI is broadening into areas like green tech, smart cities and beyond, and what this means for the future of global trade and development.

By Warwick Powell

Lead: Rigid international rules have repeatedly failed to prevent conflict or promote harmony. In response, a more flexible framework is emerging, focusing on cooperation and shared progress, with the Belt and Road Initiative leading the way.

Ideas about right and wrong in international relations usually come from Western philosophy. Many of these ideas can be traced back to German philosopher Immanuel Kant, who believed in "universal principles." This approach assumes that fixed, external rules should guide how countries behave.

However, there's another way to look at it. This alternative approach, based on real-world experiences and virtue ethics, draws from both early Western thinking (like Aristotle's ideas) and Eastern philosophies such as Taoism. It offers a more flexible and context-based way of thinking about ethics in international relations.

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) exemplifies this dynamic model of international cooperation. It shows how ethics in global affairs can be shaped by actual experiences and changing contexts, rather than rigid rules.

The Kantian tradition, dominant in modern Western ethics and international law, is rooted in the belief that moral principles should be universal and absolute. For Kant, the "categorical imperative" provides the basis for determining the right action: Individuals — and, by extension, states — must act according to principles that could be universally applied without contradiction. In international relations, this approach has often been implemented as a system where powerful actors or international institutions enforce norms and rules, claiming to ensure order and fairness.

This framework is inherently static and ultimately limited. The emphasis on universal rules assumes the "right" course of action is already defined, and states must conform to these pre-established norms. International law becomes a set of rigid rules that evaluate how countries behave. Yet, this often overlooks or downplays the different cultural backgrounds, histories and unique situations that shape each country's reality. This view also sees countries as natural rivals. It focuses on forcing countries to follow rules, rather than encouraging dialogue and cooperation. In reality, this view has, more often than not, been unable to settle differences and problems, and has sometimes created new problems instead of effectively addressing conflicts born out of specific and changing circumstances.

In contrast, virtue ethics — both in its Aristotelian form and its Eastern variations, such as Taoism and Confucianism — is grounded not in detached, abstract principles but in the lived and embodied experience of individuals and communities. Virtue ethics emphasizes the cultivation of virtues, such as wisdom, justice and temperance, through consistent practice and engagement with the world. For Aristotle, the right action is not one that adheres to a universal law but one that arises from the specific context of a situation, shaped by the actor's character and the unique circumstances of the environment. Taoism has a similar idea called "wu wei," which means "non-action" or "effortless action." This teaches that the best way to act is to go along with the natural flow of the world. In particular, it suggests responding to life's changes without trying to force things into a set plan.

Students from the Kazakhstan Branch of NPU take part in cultural activities of the Dragon Boat Festival in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, June 8, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

This context-sensitive approach to ethics holds that the "right" or "virtuous" decision is not static, nor can it be determined by external standards. Instead, it emerges through continuous engagement, dialogue and reflection on specific circumstances. This allows for a richer, more flexible understanding of ethical conduct that acknowledges human complexity and diversity, seeking to harmonize differences through cooperation and mutual understanding. In a sense, this approach requires more efforts and more proactive and painstaking thinking on behalf of those who are in a position to lead and contribute to a better world in responding to problems, conflicts and other challenges.

The BRI exemplifies this context-driven, relational approach to international engagement. While often analyzed in terms of infrastructure development and economic growth, the BRI can also be understood as a practical embodiment of virtue ethics in international relations. The initiative, which aims to enhance trade, development and connectivity across Asia, Africa, Europe and beyond, emphasizes cooperation, dialogue and mutual benefit rather than imposing rigid, predefined rules.

Unlike Western models of international engagement, where participation often requires adherence to external, "universal" norms, the BRI is more flexible. It operates based on principles that value cooperation and mutual respect. There is no single leader or outside authority dictating how countries interact. Instead, the BRI is open to new possibilities that arise through cooperation. Countries work together, negotiating and adjusting their relationships as circumstances change. This openness allows them to adapt easily, reduce conflict, and increase harmony, much like the ease of "flow" in human relations.

The concept of "flow" in this context draws from Taoist philosophy, referring to the ease of human interactions and engagement with the world. In the Taoist view, harmony emerges from alignment with the natural order. Similarly, in the BRI, cooperation between states is seen as a dynamic process with evolving relationships rather than fixed outcomes. This fluid approach allows for shared expectations and norms to emerge through dialogue and mutual respect, instead of being imposed from above. The process of mutual adjustment and aligning differences around common concerns reflects the core of virtue ethics: ethical decisions made through action, interaction and reflection within a specific context.

Virtue ethics emphasizes practical action — developing moral character through real-world experiences and interactions with others. This approach aligns with the BRI’s emphasis on working together and building projects based on real-world needs, rather than just discussing ideas or following orders from above. Through infrastructure development, China focuses on meeting the practical needs and wishes of other countries. This approach moves beyond abstract ethical principles, showing that commonality and alignment can emerge from how states interact, cooperate and respond to shared challenges.

A zebra is seen next to a fence as a freight train runs on the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway track in Kenya, on July 28, 2022. [Photo by Dong Jianghui/Xinhua]

This model of international ethics draws from both Western pre-Kantian traditions and Eastern philosophies, emphasizing the importance of context, dialogue and mutual respect. It challenges the idea that international ethics must rely on externally imposed rules or abstract principles. Instead, it suggests that while norms and ethics are important, they must contribute to the well-being of all states in their ongoing interaction and engagement of each other. By adopting this more flexible, context-driven approach, the global community can foster a governance model that is both inclusive and cooperative — one that seeks harmony by aligning differences around shared human concerns.

Moving away from Kant's idea of fixed, universal ethical rules, we can adopt a more flexible, experience-based approach to international relations. This shift opens new doors for global cooperation, understanding and conflict resolution. The BRI shows how international relations can be an ongoing process of dialogue and teamwork and of continuous improvement. In this view, shared norms and ethics aren't imposed by higher powers. Instead, they grow naturally from countries working together and sharing real-world experiences.

While "realists" argue that the world is anarchic due to the absence of a higher authority, this perspective contends that authority emerges from the interaction of actors themselves. In essence, there is no higher authority than those who reach agreements. This approach offers an opportunity for a more universalist ethic to emerge from a recognition of difference.

Warwick Powell is adjunct professor at Queensland University of Technology and a senior fellow at the Taihe Institute. He is the founding chair of Smart Trade Networks.