WHO director-general calls B&R Forum 'bold, ambitious and visionary'
POLITICS
By Ai Yan

2017-05-16 15:29 GMT+8

59km to Beijing

By James Chau
The Belt and Road Forum has injected new thinking into globalization, which is "bold, ambitious and visionary", said Dr. Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organization.
On the sidelines of the forum which recently wrapped up in Beijing, Chan spoke highly of the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013. She also said the forum is unlike any other global gathering so far this year. 
Chinese President Xi Jinping, foreign delegation heads and guests walk out of Yanqi Lake International Convention Center in Beijing. /VCG Photo
With 29 heads of state and government, and almost as many leaders from the different UN agencies, the forum provided a place marker for a different way of doing business.
Chan will retire soon after two terms at the helm of the WHO and an extraordinary career as an international public servant. But her insights go far beyond health and cover critical issues like trade, security and sustainability.
Chan also talked about the "mega trend" for globalization, and how the Belt and Road could help narrow the gap of social inquiry.
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She said that globalization does bring about some problems, for instance, the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. But Belt and Road, Chan said, could even out the playing field, so that the cycle of the two extremes could be avoided. 
Chan said the two-day forum, which wrapped up on May 15, aims to find co-consultation and co-building by bringing the world together. 
She added that, it is about inclusive economic growth, peaceful development and international collaboration to find win-win solutions.
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