1st Silk Road NGO Cooperation Network Forum kicks off in Beijing

The 1st Silk Road NGO Cooperation Network Forum kicks off in Beijing on Nov. 21.

Song Tao, minister of the International Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, addressed the opening ceremony of the forum and read a congratulatory letter from President Xi Jinping.

In his letter, Xi said that the establishment of the Silk Road NGO Cooperation Network is an important move to strengthen the public communication and cooperation among countries along the Silk Road, and he wished the participators of the forum can take the opportunity and make contribution to improving mutual understanding and friendship, facilitating the common development, and building a community of shared future for mankind.

In 2013, Xi put forward the proposal of jointly building the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road, which injected new impetus for China and countries along the region in realizing common development and prosperity and in strengthening practical cooperation, mutual learning between civilizations and people-to-people exchanges. The initiative has been well recognized by the international community.

This May, Xi announced the building of the Silk Road NGO Cooperation Network during the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF) in Beijing.

To further pool the strength of NGOs at home and abroad and bring full play of NGOs' unique features and advantages, the China NGO Network for International Exchanges made the proposal to build a Silk Road NGO Cooperation Network.

Two hundred delegates of NGOs from more than 50 countries attended the forum. The forum will last for two days.