Silk Road Business Summit: Reps of 84 countries and regions gather in Hunan Province

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02:33

Improving global trade remains one of the tenets of the Belt and Road Initiative. A forum in central China's Hunan province has brought together business experts from over 80 countries and regions along the Belt and Road. CGTN's Wu Guoxiu brings us more from the tourist destination of Zhangjiajie in Hunan.

84 countries and regions. Hundreds of representatives. One Belt and Road Initiative. The Silk Road Business Summit welcomes mostly non-governmental organizations from Russia, Croatia, France and beyond. Their talks are aimed at improving trade under the Belt and Road framework.

STJEPAN MESIC FORMER PRESIDENT OF CROATIA "China is dedicated to economic globalization. The Belt and Road initiative benefits all countries including those without exports, and that's why we have come here. We are against trade protectionism and against the US-instigated trade war on China."

Experts are targeting specific issues, maintaining a safe trade environment, how to promote foreign brands in China and how to develop cooperation in the commercial and tourism arenas.

SHIN JOONG MOK, COMMISSIONER KOREA WORLD TRAVEL FAIR "Korea is paying attention to China's Belt and Road Initiative, especially we see the cooperation between China and Europe. In our tourism industry, which I am in charge of, that's also something we can develop towards."

WISSAM H. FATTOUH, SECRETARY-GENERAL UNION OF ARAB BANKS "We are here today to witness the signing of another letter of intent of establishing a China-Arab Development Bank. The purpose of the bank is to promote economic and social development in most regions in China and the Arab world."

An urban alliance is in place to funnel cooperation down to the city level. Summit organizers hope to help the Belt and Road Initiative make inroads in different countries, while tailoring it to their own conditions.

LI ZHONGHANG, VICE-CHAIRMAN SILK ROAD CHAMBER OF INT'L COMMERCE "Since we launched this chamber in 2015, we now have 129 national-level business chambers from 77 countries, linking nearly 10 million company members. We are the bridge between various countries' governments and industries."

WU GUOXIU ZHANGJIAJIE "Business chambers and organizations play key roles at this forum. They bring government representatives, ambassadors and entrepreneurs together to discuss multilateral trade opportunities and promote deals. With 84 countries and regions involved, this forum shows the reach of Belt and Road cooperation. Wu Guoxiu, CGTN, Zhangjiajie, Hunan province."