China denies US claims of Belt and Road clique

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The Belt and Road Initiative is open and inclusive, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Wednesday, in response to US criticism of the scheme.

The US government official recently said China was using the Belt and Road Initiative to establish own rules and standards.

Hua said the Belt and Road Initiative is aimed at promoting infrastructure and joint work between countries so that their policies and development strategies complement each other, benefiting all.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying at a regular press conference on December 20, 2017 /MOFA Photo

China insists on the principle of promoting Belt and Road cooperation through discussion and collaboration. It has never and will never seek to establish a rule only dominated by one country, she stressed.

The spokeswoman cited a number of statistics which she said showed the Belt and Road has been widely welcomed.

Since the Belt and Road Initiative was proposed, 80 countries and organizations have signed cooperation agreements and China has carried out the mechanism of production cooperation with more than 30 countries. Meanwhile, China has moved forward the establishment of 75 overseas economic and trade cooperation zones with 24 countries.

Chinese enterprises have invested more than 50 billion US dollars in countries along the Belt and Road, creating nearly 200,000 jobs.

China welcomes all parties to join Belt and Road Initiative and hopes the US can treat the issue objectively and rationally, Hua added.