Chinese President Xi Jinping has promised to continue to advance global development through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
Xi made the promise in his keynote address at the opening ceremony of the two-day third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation summit that started from Oct. 18 to 19, 2023 in Beijing.
Xi said the event which marked the tenth anniversary of BRI is designed for stakeholders to take stock of progress so far made, enhance connectivity, and even, open up vistas to ensure a brighter future.
Xi said, “It is to create opportunities for global development and build new platforms for international economic cooperation.
“Over these ten years, we have stayed committed over this founding commission, BRI has grown rapidly and extended from the original continent to Africa and several organizations.”
The Chinese President mentioned that Belt and Road cooperation has progressed from sketching its outline to filling in details that have turned into real projects.
Also, the initiative brought about the establishment of a large number of signature projects that are people-centered among other achievements.
He further said that China through the BRI provided more than 10 billion face masks and 3 billion doses of vaccines to other countries, and had jointly produced the vaccines with more than 20 countries during the COVID-19 era.
“Belt and Road cooperation is based on the principle of planning together, building together, and benefitting together.
“It transforms differences between civilizations, cultures, social systems, and stages of development, and conduct new path for exchanges with other countries.
“It establishes a new framework for international cooperation, indeed BRI represents humanity’s joint pursuit of development; through Belt and Road cooperation China is opening its door even wider to the world.
“China will work with parties involved until every stage is birthed into a new stage of high-quality development and make relentless efforts to achieve modernization for all countries,” the president added.
He identified the construction of multidimensional Belt and Road connectivity advanced railway express, and the building of a new logistics corridor as strategic plans to achieve set targets.
He said although there were changes ongoing across the world, China would endeavor to build itself into a stronger country and rejuvenate its people in the cause of modernization.
Speaking, Russian President, Vladimir Putin, said Russia, China, and a majority of other states shared aspirations for equal and mutual cooperation, toward sustainable economic progress and the social well-being of their citizenry.
According to him, the connectivity of all the BRI partners has become relevant for relations between them.
Putin said, “At the same time all parties respected civilization, diversity, and the rights of every state for their own development model.
“The BRI is built on such principles and links up very well with developing different regions of the world’s integration projects and processes.
“It is in tune with the Russian ideas of creating such an integration framework that will fully ensure freedom of trade, investment, labour and the two will have an interconnected infrastructure.
“It is also in tune with a well-known proposal to form a great partnership, as an environment for cooperation and interaction of those of like mind that will involve various integration processes.”
The president expressed his confidence in the BRI, saying it outlined Russia’s priorities, and constructive and bold proposals of other states, including those participating at the forum, to proffer collective solutions to global challenges.
Also speaking, the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, commended the forum’s contribution to global infrastructural development.
According to him, the third Belt and Road Forum recognized the fact that without infrastructure there cannot be any meaningful development.
“Many development support to developing countries will be starved if infrastructural needs are not met; infrastructure is the foundation for the everyday life of people in their countries.
“From drinking water to basic sanitation to electricity, connectivity, and internet access, from public services like schools and hospitals to modern grounds, construction of tunnels and hallways and railways that keep people and roads moving.
“Yet, billions of people in the developing world lack access to these basic systems, which is why this meeting on the Belt and Road is so important,” Guterres said.
The secretary-general advised that there should be a platform upon which to create economic growth, transform energy systems, and ensure sustainable solutions for the 21st century.
