# Construction of the Belt and Road Trade Cooperation Network from the Multi-Distances Perspective
## 5 Conclusions and Policy Recommendations  
In this study, under the backdrop of the Belt One Road Initiative, a Belt and Road Trade cooperation network was designed and constructed from a multi-distances perspective. Based on the cooperation network formation theory of benefit-based antecedents and opportunity-based antecedents, we selected four distance variables: geographic, factor endowment, cultural, and institutional distances, from the aspects of geography, economy, culture, and politics to expand the trade gravity model from the multi-distance research perspective. By using the data from China's export trade flows to the Belt and Road countries from 2007 to 2016, we completed positive research resulting in the following conclusions. A Belt and Road country showed greater trade flows from China when it has smaller geographic, factor endowment, and cultural distances and a greater institutional distance from China. Subsequently, based on the positive research results, we improved the comprehensive index method to compute the comprehensive distance indices between China  
Figure 2: Construction of a cooperation network with the Belt and Road Countries. (**a**) Initial stage; (**b**) development stage; (**c**) formation stage; (**d**) improvement stage. and the Belt and Road countries. According to the calculated comprehensive distance indices, we divided the 62 Belt and Road countries into four trade cooperation circles and defined the four stages of trade cooperation network construction. During the initial stage, China is an \"axis power\" and the first-circle countries, such as Russia, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, India, Poland, and Turkey, are the nodes of the network, radiating to the six major regions of Mongolia-Russia, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, and West Asia. During the development stage, the second-circle countries, such as the Philippines, Qatar, Kuwait, Pakistan, and Israel, become expansion lines. During the formation stage, the first- and second-circle countries can attract the third-circle countries, such as Lebanon, Myanmar, East Timor, Jordan, and Yemen. During the improvement stage, the fourth-circle countries, such as Maldives, Macedonia, Bhutan, Tajikistan, and Armenia, are attracted to form a \"seamless network\". Finally, an all-round, multi-level, and all-encompassing trade cooperation network would be gradually formed. Based on the above conclusion, we recommend that China should formulate a differentiated promotion plan according to the development conditions and advantages of different countries to steadily promote the participation of countries in different circles in the cooperation network construction. For the countries in the first and second circles with smaller comprehensive distance indices, infrastructure construction and production cooperation could be conducted first. For the countries in the third and fourth circles with relatively bigger comprehensive distance indices, the cooperation network construction could be started with cultural exchanges and institutional development. The following specific recommendations are offered from the perspective of geographic, factor endowment, cultural, and institutional distances:  
1. The transportation and communication infrastructures in the Belt and Road countries should be improved to remove geographic distance barriers. At present, in terms of the transportation infrastructure of the Silk Road Economic Belt, it is necessary to continue to strengthen the infrastructure constructions in terms of railways, highways, and aviation, thus forming an infrastructure network connecting countries along the route, and improving interregional transportation efficiency. In the 21 st-Century Maritime Silk Road, we suggest promoting the construction of ports, strengthening the cooperation of maritime logistics channels, establishing a unified transportation management organization, standardizing transportation rules, and reducing customs clearance procedures to facilitate transportation by land and sea.