According to a Chinese saying: "If you want to become rich, you must first build a road." Therefore, to win the hearts of the people living along the Belt and Road, China should build a network of highways and high-speed railways.

China and Pakistan have already decided to build a $46-billion 3,000-kilometer China-Pakistan Economic Corridor from the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region through the Karakoram Mountains and Pakistan's Balochistan to the Gwadar Port, linking China, Pakistan and the Arab world.

Apart from the investment in infrastructure, China should also continue its tradition of building hospitals and sending medical teams to the developing countries along the Belt and Road. One of the most popular hospitals in Afghanistan is the China Hospital in Kandahar, which treats Afghan civilians as well as wounded soldiers and fighters from all factions engaged in civil strife in the country.

Development forms the core of peace. It is hoped that through the development and prosperity of the Belt and Road Initiative, the Islamic world will be free of war, invasions, terrorism, and civil and sectarian conflicts. And hopefully, all the countries along the Belt and Road can experience peace and prosperity.

The author is a professor at and director of Tsinghua University International Center for Communication.