Belt & Road Initiative- 5 Years On: Chinese president says Belt & Road Initiative benefits people in countries involved

World
Europe

02:26

Chinese President Xi Jinping says the Belt & Road Initiative has the capacity to build what he calls "a community with a shared future for humanity". He was addressing a symposium on Monday in Beijing on the fifth anniversary of the initiative. CGTN's Zheng Yibing has more.

Chinese President Xi Jinping attends a special symposium to mark the fifth anniversary of China's Belt & Road Initiative.

He said the initiative is an important means to improve global development, governance and globalization, and China will continue to seek maximum common ground with countries along the route. He expressed hope that the project would promote more multinational exchanges.

He said that the initiative's basic structures have been set up, and high-quality development will be the foundation for the next phase.

He said this includes building projects that improve livelihoods, developing new cross-border e-commerce, providing financial support and guarantees and improving risk control.

The Chinese president stressed that the Belt and Road Initiative is not a geopolitical or military alliance, nor would it draw ideological boundaries, or play zero-sum games. Rather, he said the initiative is open and inclusive and welcomes everyone willing to join.

Later on Monday, officials held a press conference to talk about the progress of the Belt and Road Initiative over the past five years.

NING JIZHE, DEPUTY HEAD LEADING GROUP FOR ADVANCING DEV'T OF BELT AND ROAD INITIATIVE "The practice of 5 years has proved that the construction of Belt and Road is in line with the trend of the times and the direction of historical development. International recognition is growing, more and more partners are involved and its influence continues to expand."

The officials said despite difficulties and misunderstandings, China will continue the efforts with mutual benefits, win-win results and openness.

They said China will hold the 2nd Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in 2018.

ZHENG YIBING BEIJING "Five years on, Beijing says the initiative has achieved substantial results in exploring development opportunities shared by all. And China will continue those efforts with mutual benefits, win-win results and openness for all participants. Zheng Yibing, CGTN, Beijing."