In December 2020, China Center for Urban Development completed this research on how to promote cooperation among cities along the Belt and Road, with support from Energy Foundation China.

Recognizing the significance of cities as the major implementer of the Belt and Road Initiative, the report reviews the current status of urban cooperation and development in cities along the six economic corridors of the initiative, summaries their cooperation into three different categories—sister cities, industrial parks, and exchange—and pictures the prospect of more cooperation in the future.

As China’s first systematic study on the cooperation and development among cities along the Belt and Road, the report also establishes a comprehensive urban development index system for the cities, as well as an indicator system on Chinese cities’ engagement in the Belt and Road Initiative.