China.org.cn | May 21, 2020
China Daily:
You just mentioned the countries along the Belt and Road. Last year, General Secretary Xi Jinping called for joint efforts to promote the high-quality development of the Belt and Road while addressing the second Belt and Road Forum on International Cooperation. My questions are: Has the pandemic created challenges that stand in the way of economic cooperation along the Belt and Road, especially regarding major projects? How will the Ministry of Commerce continue to help build the Belt and Road? Thank you.
Zhong Shan:
Thank you for your questions. We invite Mr. Wang Bingnan to answer them.
Wang Bingnan:
Thank you for your questions. Since the Belt and Road Initiative was proposed more than six years ago, China and involved countries have followed the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits. Notable achievements have been made in deepening pragmatic cooperation and promoting the high-quality development of the Belt and Road. Statistics show that from 2013 to 2019, the trade of commodities between China and the countries along the Belt and Road hit $7.8 trillion, direct investments from China to those countries exceeded $110 billion, newly contracted projects reached nearly $800 billion, and a huge number of major projects and industrial zones were set in motion. These have greatly helped to promote win-win cooperation and common development among them. The influence and appeal of the Belt and Road Initiative have continued to grow.
Just as the reporter mentioned, the impact of coronavirus on the world economy has been massive, and it has exacerbated the sluggishness of international trade and investments. The economic and trade cooperation along the Belt and Road has also been affected to some extent. For example, some projects have been obstructed by the loss of personnel and the lack of logistic supplies. And at the same time, epidemic prevention and control efforts have also put much pressure on them.
While confronting such complexities, China and the countries involved have provided mutual assistance to surmount the difficulties and mitigate the impact of the pandemic. Generally speaking, the economic and trade cooperation along the Belt and Road has so far secured sound momentum. From January to April, commodity trade between China and the countries involved has climbed up 0.9% year on year by RMB, and China's direct investment in the non-financial sector to those countries rose 13.4% by US dollars. In the next phase, the Ministry of Commerce will follow the major polices and plans made by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council to advance the work of both epidemic prevention and control and economic and trade cooperation along the Belt and Road, promote its high-quality development, and contribute to building a community with a shared future for mankind. Our work will be carried out in four aspects as follows:
First, we will make more efforts to cope with the pandemic. We will continue to keep a close eye on the overseas situation of the pandemic and promptly work out policies and solutions that are targeted at solving difficulties and problems faced by enterprises that invest abroad. At the same time, we will deepen our communication and cooperation with involved countries, jointly working to ensure the security and stability of global industrial and supply chains.
Second, we will further promote trade cooperation. We will make full use of open platforms such as the China International Import Expo (CIIE) and the online Canton Fair, and further develop Silk Road E-Commerce. We will also promote the construction of "commodity passageways", such as China-Europe freight train services and new land-sea transit routes, and establish high-standard free trade zones in cooperation with more countries, so as to further promote trade liberation and facilitation to a higher level.
Third, we will expand investment cooperation. In accordance with the requirements to jointly promote high-quality BRI cooperation, we will work to carry out a batch of projects with sound overall benefits welcomed by all parties. We will implement a batch of aid projects helpful in developing the local economy and improving local people's livelihood. We will further promote the development of overseas economic and trade cooperation zones, and establish third-market cooperation with more countries, in order to continuously improve our capacity of outward investment cooperation.
Fourth, we will work to do a better job of telling BRI stories. Last year, we looked in detail at typical BRI projects and organized foreign and domestic experts to write, edit and publish the book A Bright Shared Future, Stories Along the Belt and Road in six languages. Launched both online and offline, these books have found a wide audience in and outside China. This year, we will continue to publish a series of books, and present vivid stories of BRI and international cooperation in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, so that people around the world can gain a better understanding of the overall significance of a community with a shared future for all humanity, as well as about the operation of the BRI. In this way, we will jointly push forward the implementation of BRI. Thank you.