The Belt and Road Initiative, which has turned from a Chinese concept into joint action with countries worldwide, has demonstrated the Communist Party of China's open and inclusive desire for win-win partnerships in dealing with the world, foreign diplomats have said.
Milia Jabbour, the ambassador of Lebanon to China, described the initiative, which was proposed by President Xi Jinping in 2013, as the "flagship" of the CPC's foreign policy.
"Lebanon is part of the initiative, and we are happy to be part of it," Jabbour told China Daily. "This is a very important initiative because it is centered on interconnectivity and it wants to connect the world together.
"When we are connected together, we know each other better and we understand each other better. When there is understanding, there is harmony and peace. This is what we are all searching for," she added.
Xi, who is also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, has been promoting high-quality cooperation under the initiative, which was incorporated into the Party Constitution at the 19th CPC National Congress in 2017.
A total of 140 countries and 32 international organizations have signed cooperation agreements with China on the joint construction of the Belt and Road, according to the Foreign Ministry.
In his keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2021 via video link in April, Xi said that the BRI is a public road open to all, and all interested countries are welcome to take part in the cooperation and share in its benefits.
Going forward, China will continue to work with other parties in high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, Xi said, adding that efforts will be made to build a closer partnership for health cooperation, connectivity, green development, openness and inclusiveness.
Fight pandemic
State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will preside over the Asia-Pacific High-Level Conference on Belt and Road Cooperation via video link on Wednesday.
The meeting will focus on Xi's proposals at the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference, build a new consensus with Asia-Pacific countries on the joint fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and promote economic recovery in the region as well as high-quality development of the Belt and Road, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a regular news conference on Tuesday.
Despite the pandemic, China's outbound direct investment in countries involved in the BRI expanded 13.8 percent year-on-year to $7.43 billion in the first five months of 2021, according to the Ministry of Commerce.
Data from the General Administration of Customs shows that from January to May, trade between China and BRI countries amounted to 4.36 trillion yuan ($674.3 billion), up 27.4 percent from the same period last year.
Elia G. Kaiyamo, the Namibian ambassador to China, said the BRI and the cooperative projects under the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation have provided historic opportunities for China and Namibia to intensify collaboration for win-win results.
Infrastructure cooperation
Infrastructure connectivity is one of the pillars of Belt and Road cooperation, and "we are striving to realizing this target", Kaiyamo said, adding that the Chinese-built Walvis Bay container terminal commissioned in August 2019 has helped Namibia to connect with the rest of the world.
Albanian Ambassador to China Selim Belortaja said his country has been backing and supporting the BRI.
"We strongly believe that opening the multilateral dialogue always helps to exchange views among countries to find the best ways of cooperation. Even if we have differences in the concepts, platforms or policies, we can discuss through such a large platform like the Belt and Road Initiative for cooperation," Belortaja said.
Argentine Ambassador to China Sabino Vaca Narvaja told Xinhua News Agency earlier this month that his country has developed effective cooperation with China in fighting the pandemic, and it is actively preparing to participate in the BRI.
