China’s Belt and Road Initiative faces growing risks from terrorism and regional instability, but implementation of the initiative can help to promote international counter-terrorism cooperation, a government report explained on Friday.

The new report, compiled jointly by the Center for One Belt One Road under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) and CITIC Foundation for Reform and Development Studies, is the first one to detail the development of various “Belt and Road” construction projects.

Many countries included in the Belt and Road Initiative are currently going through social and political transitions, many of which result in social instability. Specifically, the report noted that parts of Central Asia have been penetrated by religious extremist activity, including new terrorist groups. In Kazakhstan, more than 10 terrorist groups have recently made their presence known, and the whole region is under threat from returning Islamic State (ISIS) fighters.

All this could potentially disturb "Belt and Road" construction, as well as threatening the security of China’s investments and overseas employees, the report noted. However, one of the intended benefits of the initiative is "the establishment of a new political and economic order of justice."

Elaborating on that theme, one passage read, “Essentially different from the ‘double standard’ pursued by Western countries, China upholds global counter-terrorism cooperation both guided and coordinated by the UN Security Council... China adheres to comprehensive management that addresses both the symptoms and roots of the problem of terrorism, which differs from the Western approach of fighting violence with violence.”

The report further encouraged cooperation between China and other countries on appropriate counter-terrorism efforts, which can simultaneously facilitate the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative.

As introduced by President Xi Jinping during his overseas visits in 2013, the Silk Road Economic Belt stretches northwest from China's coastal area through Central Asia, the Middle East and on to Europe, while the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road runs through China’s southern regions to Southeast Asia, Xinhua News Agency reported.