China's Foreign Ministry announced on August 31 that China will hold the 3rd Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRI) in Beijing next October to mark the 10th anniversary of the Initiative.
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| Chinese President Xi Jinping and leaders of countries attending the 2nd Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, April 2019. (Source: THX). |
The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a global infrastructure development strategy launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping a decade ago to connect Asia with Africa and Europe through land and maritime routes.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said the 10th anniversary of the BRI is also "an important platform for all parties to discuss and enhance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation."
Mr. Uong Van Ban emphasized: "The Chinese side is communicating with all parties about preparations for the forum and will release relevant information at the appropriate time."
Earlier, Russian media reported that President Vladimir Putin planned to visit China, coinciding with the BRI Forum.
During his visit to Kazakhstan in September 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced a grand plan initially named “Silk Road Economic Belt”. One month later, during his visit to Indonesia and attending the 21st Asia- Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Bali, the Chinese leader continued to announce the “21st Century Maritime Silk Road”, officially announcing to the world the grand plan One Belt, One Road (OBOR). Later, OBOR was renamed the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
BRI is a mega-project complex including a network of roads, railways, oil and gas pipelines, seaport systems, fiber optic cables, telecommunications networks, etc. connecting China with the rest of the world through more than 65 countries and territories. BRI includes two main routes: the “Silk Road Economic Belt” on land and the “21st Century Maritime Silk Road”.
The Chinese government has repeatedly affirmed that BRI is a trade initiative, aiming to connect economies, promote cooperation between countries and regions, not only in the economic field but also in culture and society, bringing benefits to all. So far, the Chinese government has invested hundreds of billions of USD in BRI with projects in many countries.
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