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From a model train presented to Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, reflecting a commitment to a cooperative and increasingly productive bilateral relationship, to a traditional costume from Kazakhstan, representing the deep affection felt for China… These gifts given and received by President Xi Jinping may seem modest, but their symbolic value is incalculable. This is seen also in a miniature of the ancient city of Khiva gifted to Uzbekistan, which celebrates the two countries’ joint efforts to restore the cultural heritage of the Silk Road, and a plaque from the workers of the Smederevo Steel Mill in Serbia, which commemorates China’s vital role in the plant’s revitalization.
These and many other gifts are an expression of the sense of optimism and mutual affection felt by people in China and the other countries embracing the Belt and Road Initiative.