The first Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation was held five years ago, on May 14, 2017.

Unveiled in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) proposed by China aims to enhance connectivity among countries and regions, promote interconnected development and create new space for global growth.

As of August 2021, China had signed BRI cooperation documents with 172 countries and international organizations and a large number of cooperation projects had been launched under the initiative, according to the country's Commerce Ministry.

One of the major events related to the initiative is the China International Import Expo (CIIE). In 2021, despite the COVID-19 epidemic, the fourth CIIE still attracted nearly 3,000 offline exhibitors from 127 countries and regions to its business exhibition in Shanghai.

Among them, over 600 cooperative representatives from 50 BRI nations brought their products or services to the expo.

Here's a look back on what the fourth CIIE showed last year.

At the 2021 meeting of the Advisory Council of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation last December, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi stressed the BRI is a joint cause of all partners. 

It is the road of hope, development, opportunity and green that bolsters high-quality development amid the spread of COVID-19, said Wang at the time.

"The BRI has never been a geopolitical strategy, but a road of development that helps deliver the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and drives shared progress and prosperity," Wang said.