Columbia University economist Jeffrey Sachs has hailed China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as a driving force for global connectivity, calling it a "win-win mechanism" that revives the spirit of the ancient Silk Roads and fosters mutual prosperity through trade and cultural exchange. In an interview aired Friday by China Media Group (CMG), Sachs, who is a former special advisor to three UN secretaries-general, praised China's commitment to building global interconnections and urged deeper cooperation between the BRI and Europe’s Global Gateway project. Sachs also criticized U.S. efforts to dissuade countries from joining the initiative, calling such actions counterproductive to global development. "The Belt and Road Initiative is really a wonderful initiative and a very special one. Of course, as President Xi made clear when he first unveiled it, it harks back to the Silk Roads, 2000 years of East-West trade. Now, if you are an economist like I am, you believe that trade is mutually beneficial, that it brings cultures together, it brings wonderful goods from one part of the world to the benefit of other parts of the world. And so it's truly the win-win mechanism for how societies function. So, I'm a huge fan of that interconnection. I believe it's hugely beneficial. And here China has made a major commitment to making these interconnections," he said. Sachs urged greater global cooperation and criticized efforts to block participation in the BRI, calling for synergy between China's BRI and Europe's Global Gateway project. "The United States government goes around the world telling countries: you get out of the Belt and Road initiative. So this is the opposite of what should be done. With Europe, I think that Europe should be partnering with China. Europe has the idea of this openness and connection. They call it the Global Gateway. And how wonderful if the Global Gateway and the Belt and Road really were working together? I always say the Global Gateway should invest from Europe eastward, the Belt and Road from China westward. They could meet in Samarkand and reestablish the 21st century Silk Road," he said. The video shows: Boao Town, Qionghai City, Hainan Province, south China - Aired on Oct 10, 2025 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland) 1. Various of sculpture featuring Song of Belt and Road 2. SOUNDBITE (English) Jeffrey Sachs, professor of economics, Columbia University: "The Belt and Road Initiative is really a wonderful initiative and a very special one. Of course, as President Xi made clear when he first unveiled it, it harks back to the Silk Roads, 2000 years of East-West trade. Now, if you are an economist like I am, you believe that trade is mutually beneficial, that it brings cultures together, it brings wonderful goods from one part of the world to the benefit of other parts of the world. And so it's truly the win-win mechanism for how societies function. So, I'm a huge fan of that interconnection. I believe it's hugely beneficial. And here China has made a major commitment to making these interconnections." Aktau, Kazakhstan - June 2025 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland) 3. Aerial shot of Aktau Port 4. Aerial shot of port under construction 5. Various of workers Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - Recent (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland) 6. Various of workers moving sacks of coffee beans; sacks labeled destination "China" Boao Town, Qionghai City, Hainan Province, south China - Aired on Oct 10, 2025 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland) 7. SOUNDBITE (English) Jeffrey Sachs, professor of economics, Columbia University: "The United States government goes around the world telling countries: you get out of the Belt and Road initiative. So this is the opposite of what should be done. With Europe, I think that Europe should be partnering with China. Europe has the idea of this openness and connection. They call it the Global Gateway. And how wonderful if the Global Gateway and the Belt and Road really were working together? I always say the Global Gateway should invest from Europe eastward, the Belt and Road from China westward. They could meet in Samarkand and reestablish the 21st century Silk Road." FILE: Xiamen City, Fujian Province, east China - Date Unknown (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland) 8. Truck traveling at port 9. Containers 10. Aerial shot of Silk Road Maritime Port of Origin [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]