China is willing to work with various countries and international organizations to promote all-round and multidimensional connectivity, Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang said at a high-level forum in Beijing on Wednesday.
The forum, dedicated to in-depth discussions on connectivity, is part of the two-day-long Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF) that commenced on Tuesday while being held for the third time.
Ding delivered a speech at the forum that acknowledged the fruitful results of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as a popular international public good and platform for global cooperation.
He said that China is committed to working hand in hand with its global partners to promote global connectivity, expand the BRI friend circle, enhance infrastructure connectivity, improve trade flows, foster mutually beneficial economic partnerships and broaden financial integration.
Connectivity through BRI
In the past decade, the BRI has improved infrastructure connectivity, facilitated trade and investment and generated increased prospects for shared prosperity.
In terms of infrastructure, the initiative has enhanced transportation connectivity through railways, highways, water routes and air travel, bringing production and markets closer. More partner countries have benefited from the advantages of interconnection and economic integration.
For instance, the China-Laos Railway, inaugurated in 2021, has transported 19 million passengers and 24 million tonnes of freight. This cross-border cargo transport network spans over 10 countries and regions, aligning with China's BRI and Laos' vision to transform from a landlocked nation into a central hub within the Indo-China Peninsula.
Also, the China-Europe Railway Express has reached 211 cities across 25 European countries, and the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor has linked China's central and western regions with a network of over 300 ports spanning over 100 countries.
Fertile results on the point
Wednesday's forum for connectivity has led China and Belt and Road partner countries to ink a new set of collaboration agreements in the infrastructure sector, China Media Group reports.
Furthermore, the forum has yielded tangible results in the form of intergovernmental cooperation agreements and benchmark cooperation projects, as well as a series of "small yet smart" livelihood programs that feature low-investment, high-yield projects.
According to Ding, China also pledges to strengthen people-to-people exchanges and cooperation at various levels and in diverse fields and explore new areas of cooperation to open up new spaces for common development.
(Cover: Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang delivered a speech at the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation high-level forum on connectivity on October 18, 2023. /China Media Group)