Chinese President Xi Jinping has encouraged people to hold on to the belief that they deserve a better future, stressing that the co-building of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is bound to usher in an even better world.

President Xi made the remarks while giving a toast during a welcome banquet on Friday evening in Beijing for guests participating in the second Belt and Road Forum (BRF) for International Cooperation.  

In his speech, he expressed China's commitment to friendship and win-win cooperation with other countries.

He highlighted the charisma of the variety of civilizations across the world and emphasized the significance of mutual learning. He said while we face different challenges today, we should draw on the history of ancient silk routes, gain power from the win-win cooperation in modern times, develop a global partnership and create a bright future of common development.  

While commending the primary progress achieved on the pursuit of the BRI, President Xi asserted that hardships, as well as twists and turns, are bound to come up during the co-development of this initiative, but he hailed the spirit of partnership and called on everyone to stay true to the mission and march forward resolutely. 

He also called on state leaders to live up to the expectations of their people and make them live a happy life.

The second BRF is scheduled to last from April 25 to 27, with some 5,000 attendees from more than 150 countries and 90 international organizations.