Chinese FM: Forum has given BRI new impetus

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The second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF) marks a new starting point for jointly building the Belt and Road, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Sunday.

Wang made the remarks during a briefing on the outcome of the three-day event which concluded in Beijing on Saturday.

He said China will continue to work with all partners for broader practical cooperation under the frame of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in the future.

283 items of achievements

There were 283 concrete results from the forum which was attended by over 6,000 participants from more than 150 countries and 92 international organizations, Wang said.

China took the opportunity to sign a number of intergovernmental cooperation agreements, including the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor and the China-Thailand railway.

Delegates applaud at the opening ceremony of the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation at the China National Convention Center in Beijing, April 26, 2019. /Xinhua Photo

The participating nations initiated and established a cooperation mechanism under the BRI framework such as the national standard information platform and South-South cooperation plans that will address climate change.

Enterprises from participating countries reached numerous agreements on capacity and investment cooperation, said Wang.

He said that all parties are expected to enhance cooperation with China. They are willing to align the BRI to their development strategies and coordinate with regional and international development agenda.

According to Wang, China has signed more than 100 multilateral and bilateral cooperation documents with concerned countries which cover areas such as transportation, taxation, trade, auditing, technology, culture, think tank and media. China has also signed third-party market cooperation documents with some countries and international financial institutions.

The leaders' roundtable meeting of the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF) is held in Beijing, April 27, 2019. /Xinhua Photo

The initiative has reaped tangible results in the six years since its birth in 2013. It has also accumulated worldwide support. So far, 127 countries and 29 international organizations have signed up.

Wang hailed support from the participants, stressing that their active participation contributed greatly to building global connectivity partnership.

New beginning, more tangible progress

Looking forward to the future, Wang said China will stick to the direction of common development.

BRI advocates multilateralism and we will continue to follow the principle of achieving shared growth through discussion and collaboration, said the minister.

A worker installs solar panels at the site of a solar power plant in the Daman district of Kandahar province in southern Afghanistan, December 16, 2018. /Xinhua Photo

"We will adhere to the people-centered principle and align with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development," said Wang. "We will focus on poverty alleviation, employment improvement and the fight against corruption in a bid to let the BRI better benefit all people.

"And we will accept international rules and practice which are generally accepted, stick to result-orientation, action-orientation and project-orientation and push forward more high-quality cooperative projects."

Wang also stressed that China will build a multilevel cooperation structure and actively prepare for the third forum on the basis of implementing the results of the second.

Standing at a new starting point, more high-quality projects will be built, he added, noting that a general connectivity framework consisting of six corridors and six connectivity routes will be further promoted.

(Cover: Chinese President Xi Jinping, his wife Peng Liyuan and guests of the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation attend a banquet in Beijing, April 26, 2019. /Xinhua Photo)

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