Ladies and gentlemen,
Friends,
We are here today for the opening ceremony of the Third International Cooperation Forum (ICF). On behalf of the Chinese government and people, and on my own behalf, I would like to extend a warm welcome to all of you!
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which I designed. Drawing inspiration from the ancient Silk Road and focusing on strengthening connectivity, the BRI aims to improve policy, infrastructure, trade, financial and people-to-people connectivity, inject new momentum into the global economy, create new opportunities for global development, and build a new platform for international economic cooperation.
During these 10 years, we have remained committed to this founding mission. Thanks to our joint efforts, Belt and Road's international cooperation has taken off, grown rapidly and yielded fruitful results.
Belt and Road cooperation has expanded from the Eurasian continent to Africa and Latin America. More than 150 countries and more than 30 international organisations have signed Belt and Road cooperation documents. We have already held two BRF meetings and established more than 20 dedicated multilateral cooperation platforms within the BRI.
Belt and Road's collaboration progressed from "sketching the outline" to "filling in the details" and plans turned into actual projects. A large number of signature projects and programs have been launched targeting "small yet smart" people.
Belt and Road's collaboration has expanded from physical connectivity to institutional connectivity. Important guiding principles for high quality Belt and Road collaboration have been established, including the principle of "planning together, building together, and benefiting together", the philosophy of open, green and clean collaboration, and the goal of striving for high standards, people-centered and sustainable collaboration.
Over these 10 years, we have worked to build a global connectivity network consisting of economic corridors, international transport routes and information highways, as well as railways, roads, airports, ports, pipelines and energy networks. This network, spanning land, ocean, sky and internet, has enhanced the flow of goods, capital, technology and human resources between the countries involved and injected new vitality into the millennium-old Silk Road in a new era.
Trains running on rails, cars running on roads, flights connecting different countries, cargo ships breaking waves and e-commerce bringing so much convenience to people - all have become symbols of international trade in the new era, just as camel caravans and sailing ships were for the last age.
Hydropower, wind and solar, oil and gas pipelines and increasingly smart and interconnected energy transmission networks are removing the bottleneck to development caused by energy scarcity and fulfilling the developing countries' dream of achieving green and low-carbon development. These energy projects have become an oasis and a beacon for sustainable development in a new era.
Brand new airports and ports, smooth roads, and newly built industrial parks for business cooperation have created new economic corridors and new drivers of growth, and have become the trade routes and stops of a new era.
Rich and varied cultural years, art festivals and exhibitions, Luban workshops, people-to-people exchange programs such as the Silk Road community building initiative and the Brightness Action program, and deepening exchanges between NGOs, think tanks and media organizations, and youth - all these flourishing activities have created a symphony of friendship in a new era.
When COVID-19 hit, the Belt and Road became a life-saving journey. China has provided more than 10 billion shrouds and 2.3 billion doses of vaccines to other countries and has jointly produced vaccines with more than 20 countries, making a special contribution to BRI partners' efforts to combat COVID-19. And China also received valuable support from more than 70 countries when it was hit hard by the pandemic.
The cooperation between the zone and the road is based on the principle of "joint planning, joint building and joint benefit". It transcends differences between civilisations, cultures, social systems and stages of development. It has opened a new avenue for exchanges between countries and created a new framework for international cooperation. In fact, the BRI represents humanity's common pursuit of development for all.
Ladies and gentlemen,
friends,
our achievements over the last ten years are truly amazing and we have a lot to learn from them.
We have realised that humanity is a community with a common future. China can only succeed if the whole world succeeds. When China succeeds, the world succeeds even better. Thanks to the Belt and Road cooperation, China is opening its doors even more to the world, inland regions are changing from "backward" to "advanced" and coastal regions are reaching new heights in their opening up. The Chinese market has become even more closely linked to the world market. China has become a major trading partner for more than 140 countries and territories and a major source of investment for even more countries. Chinese investment abroad and foreign investment in China have promoted friendship, cooperation, trust and hope.
We have learned that win-win cooperation is a sure path to the success of major initiatives that benefit all. when countries take the path of cooperation and act in concert, a deep chasm can become a highway, landlocked countries can become connected countries, and a place of underdevelopment can become a place of prosperity. Countries at the forefront of economic development should lend a helping hand to their partners who have not yet caught up. We should all treat each other as friends and partners, respecting and supporting each other, helping each other to succeed. As the saying goes, when you give others roses, their scent stays on your hand. In other words, when you help others, you help yourself. Perceiving the development of others as a threat or seeing economic interdependence as a risk will not improve your own life or accelerate development.
We realized that the spirit of the Silk Road - the spirit of peace and cooperation, of openness and inclusiveness, of mutual learning and mutual benefit - is the most important source of strength for cooperation within the Belt and Road. I once said that the pioneers of the ancient Silk Roads did not go down in history as conquerors with warships, cannons, horses or swords. Rather, they are remembered as friendly ambassadors leading camel caravans and sailing ships carrying goods. At the heart of Belt and Road cooperation is the belief that the flame will be ignited when everyone adds wood to the fire, and that mutual support can take us far. Such cooperation seeks to ensure a good life not only for the people of one country, but for other nations as well. It promotes networking, mutual benefit, common development, cooperation and mutually beneficial outcomes. Ideological confrontation, geopolitical rivalry and bloc politics are not our choice. We oppose unilateral sanctions, economic coercion, disruption and supply chain disruption.
What has been achieved in the last 10 years shows that the Belt and Road cooperation is on the right side of history. It represents the forward movement of our times and it is the right way forward. In an unstable world, we should keep a clear and calm mind, acutely aware of our responsibility for history, for people and for peace. We should face together the various global risks and challenges and ensure a bright future of peace, development, cooperation and mutual benefit for generations to come.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Friends,
Changes in the world, our times, and historical significance are unfolding as never before. China is striving to build itself into a stronger country and to rejuvenate the Chinese nation on all fronts by promoting Chinese modernisation. The modernisation we are pursuing is not just for China, but through our joint efforts for all developing countries. Global modernisation should be pursued to enhance peaceful development and mutually beneficial cooperation and bring prosperity to all. We will encounter headwinds and tailwinds on our way forward. We must stay focused on our goal, take action for results, persevere and keep going until our goal is achieved. China will work with all stakeholders to deepen the partnership in the Belt and Road Cooperation, bringing this cooperation to a new stage of high-quality development and tireless efforts to achieve upgrading for all countries.
I would now like to announce eight major steps that China will take to support our joint efforts for high-quality cooperation in the Belt and Road.
Firstly, building a multi-dimensional Belt and Road interconnection network. China will accelerate the high-quality development of the China-Europe Railway Express, participate in the Trans-Caspian International Transport Corridor, host the China-Europe Railway Express Cooperation Forum, and make joint efforts to build a new logistics corridor across the Eurasian continent linked by direct rail and road transport. We will vigorously integrate ports, shipping and trade services into the "Maritime Silk Road" and accelerate the construction of the new international land and maritime trade corridor and the aviation Silk Road.
Second, promoting an open world economy. China will set up pilot zones for e-commerce cooperation on the Silk Road, and conclude free trade agreements and investment protection treaties with more countries. We will remove all restrictions on foreign investment access to the manufacturing sector. In light of international high-quality economic and trade rules, we will further promote superior opening up in cross-border trade in services and investment, expand market access for digital and other products, and deepen reforms in areas including state-owned enterprises, the digital economy, intellectual property and government procurement. China will hold an annual Global Digital Trade Expo. In the next five years (2024-2028), China's total trade in goods and services is expected to exceed US$32 trillion and US$5 trillion, respectively.
Third, the implementation of practical cooperation. China will support both signature projects and "small but smart" livelihood programs. China Development Bank and Export-Import Bank of China will create a financing window of RMB 350 billion. Another RMB 80 billion will be put into the Silk Road Fund. Together, they will support BRI projects based on market and business operation. At the CEO conference held during the forum, cooperation agreements worth US$97.2 billion were signed. China will carry out 1,000 small livelihood projects and strengthen cooperation in vocational training through Luban workshops and other initiatives. We will also step up joint efforts to ensure the safety of BRI projects and personnel.
Fourth, support for green development. China will continue to deepen cooperation in areas such as green infrastructure, green energy and green transport, and strengthen support for the BRI International Green Development Coalition. China will continue to hold the BRI Green Innovation Conference and establish dialogue and exchange mechanisms for the solar industry and a network of experts on green and low-carbon development. China will establish green investment principles for the Belt and Road and provide 100,000 training sessions to partner countries by 2030.
Fifth, advancing scientific and technological innovation. China will continue to implement the Action Plan for Belt and Road Science, Technology and Innovation Cooperation, hold the first Belt and Road Conference on Science and Technology Exchange, increase the number of joint laboratories built with other parties to 100 in the next five years, and encourage young scientists from other countries to work on short-term programs in China. At this forum, China will put forward the Global Initiative for Artificial Intelligence (AI) Management. We are ready to intensify exchanges and dialogue with other countries and jointly promote the healthy, orderly and safe development of AI in the world.
Sixth, promoting people-to-people exchanges. China will host the Liangzhu Forum to strengthen dialogue on civilizations with BRI partner countries. In addition to the Silk Road International Theater League, the Silk Road International Arts Festival, the Silk Road International Alliance of Museums, the Silk Road International Alliance of Art Museums and the Silk Road International Alliance of Libraries that have been established, China has also launched the Silk Road International Tourism Cities Alliance. And we will continue with the Chinese government's Silk Road Scholarship Program.
Seventh, promoting bandwidth collaboration and integrity-based pathways. Together with its cooperating partners, China will publish the "Achievements and Prospects of Belt and Road Integrity Building and High-Level Principles for Belt and Road Integrity Building," and establish an integrity assessment and compliance system for companies involved in Belt and Road cooperation. We will also work with international organizations to conduct research and training on promoting integrity in the Belt and Road Collaborative.
Eighth, strengthening institution building for international cooperation in the Belt and Road. China will work with its BRI partner countries to strengthen the building of multilateral cooperation platforms covering energy, taxation, finance, green development, disaster reduction, anti-corruption, think tanks, media, culture and other areas. China will continue to host the BRF and establish a secretariat for the forum.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Friends,
The last decade has been a journey of dedicated cooperation and fruitful results. The Belt and Road cooperation was designed by China, but its benefits and opportunities can be shared by the whole world. Let us meet the expectations of the people, assume the responsibility that history has entrusted to us, closely follow the trend of the times, and move forward with energy and enterprise. Let's deepen the international cooperation of Belt and Road and bring Belt and Road cooperation to a new stage of better and higher development. Let's advance the modernization of all countries, build an open, inclusive and connected world for common development, and jointly build a community with a common future for mankind.
I wish the Third Zone Forum and the international cooperation pathway full success!
(gnews.cz/JAV)
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