Build a Closer Belt and Road Partnership

Build a Closer Belt and Road Partnership*

April 20, 2021

I have emphasized on various occasions that the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a public road open to all, not a private path owned by one single party. All interested countries are welcome to take part in cooperation and share in its benefits. Belt and Road cooperation targets development and mutual benefits, and conveys a message of hope.

Going forward, we will continue to work with other parties on high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. We will follow the principles of extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits, and champion the philosophy of open, green and clean cooperation. We will ensure that Belt and Road cooperation is people-centered and sustainable, and meets high standards.

– We will build a closer partnership in health. Chinese businesses have already started joint vaccine production in BRI countries such as Indonesia, Brazil, the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, Pakistan and Turkey. We will expand cooperation with various parties in areas such as infectious disease control, public health, and traditional medicine, to protect the lives and health of people in all countries.

– We will build a closer partnership in connectivity. China will work actively with all partners to promote “hard connectivity” in infrastructure and “soft connectivity” through harmonized rules and standards, to ensure unimpeded channels for cooperation in trade and investment, and to develop Silk Road e-commerce. All of this is designed to ensure bright prospects for integrated development.

– We will build a closer partnership in green development. We will strengthen cooperation in green infrastructure, green energy, and green finance, and improve the BRI International Green Development Coalition, the Green Investment Principles for the Belt and Road Development, and other multilateral cooperation platforms to make “green” a defining feature of Belt and Road cooperation.

– We will build a closer partnership in openness and inclusiveness. A World Bank study suggests that by 2030 Belt and Road projects will have helped to lift 7.6 million people from extreme poverty and 32 million people from moderate poverty across the world. Acting in the spirit of openness and inclusiveness, we will work with all BRI participants to build the Belt and Road into a pathway to poverty reduction and economic growth, and contribute to common prosperity for all.

* Part of the keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2021 via video link.

(Not to be republished for any commercial or other purposes.)