The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a new model of international cooperation and new platform for global governance under contemporary international law. The Initiative will promote basic principles of international law, playing the mediating role of preventing disputes and resolving various risks in the process of establishing a new pattern of global governance. The Initiative is in line with the new trend of international cooperation and development in the 21st century, representing a new round of the process of reforming international political economy. It is a useful attempt to enhance China’s contribution to economic co-prosperity and political stability among the countries along the Belt and Road. This paper tries to understand the BRI under contemporary international law. Part two will discuss the status of the BRI. Part three will investigate the influence of the BRI. Part four will analyze the function of contemporary international law for co-building the Belt and Road.

I. Introduction
II. The BRI in Contemporary International Law
    A. New Type of International Cooperation
    B. New Platform for Global Governance
    C. New Dimension for Cross-Regional Cooperation
III. Influence of the BRI on ContemporaryInternational Law
    A. The BRI Develops Basic Principles of International Law
    B. The BRI Promotes the International Transit Transport System
    C. The BRI Enriches the Mode of Implementation of International Law
    D. The BRI Strengthens the International Development Aid System
    E. The BRI Affects the Law of Diplomatic Relations
    F. The BRI Breeds and Generates the Inclusiveness of International Law
    G. The BRI Provides New Content to the Global Governance
IV. Mediating the Belt and Road Disputesunder International Law
    A. Preventing and Resolving Risks for Co-building the Belt and Road
    B. Preventing and Settling Disputes for Co-building the Belt and Road
    C. International Legal and Institutional Protection of National Interestsfor Co-building the Belt and Road
V. Conclusion
    A. New Trend of International Cooperation in the early 21st Century
    B. Declaration of New Round of Reform in the New InternationalPolitical Order
    C. Beneficial Attempt to Enhance China’s International Voice
References

• Zewei Yang(Luojia Distinguished Professor of International Law Institute, China Institute of Boundary and Ocean Studies, and Collaborative Innovation Center for Territorial Sovereignty and MaritimeRights at Wuhan University.)