On June 5, 2014, Xi Jinping opened the ministerial meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum. He said that the Belt and Road should follow the principle of 共商、共建、共享, “joint consultation, joint construction and shared benefits.” People’s Daily later wrote that this speech was the first to set out the principle systematically.
In March 2015, the official vision document for the Belt and Road repeated it: “Belt and Road construction is a systematic project. It must follow the principle of joint consultation, joint construction and shared benefits.”