Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the opening ceremony of the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF), which will be held in Beijing from October 17 to 18, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced on Wednesday.

Xi will deliver a keynote speech at the opening ceremony and hold a welcome banquet for foreign leaders and heads of international organizations attending the forum, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said in a statement.

According to Hua, the theme of the third BRF is "High-quality Belt and Road Cooperation: Together for Common Development and Prosperity."

The forum comes as the year 2023 marks the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Since the initiative's launch 10 years ago and thanks to the combined efforts of all parties, cooperation under the BRI framework has expanded beyond the borders of China to become an international effort, according to a white paper released on Tuesday.

"It has been welcomed by the international community both as a public good and a cooperation platform, and has achieved solid results," said the white paper.

Read more:

How Belt and Road Initiative brings tangible results to China and world

China releases white paper on Belt and Road cooperation

(Cover: A poster on the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation is seen in Beijing, China, October 9, 2023. /CFP)