BEIJING: H.E. Wang Yi State Councilor and Foreign Minister of the People’s Republic of China on June 19th presided over a high level video conference on Belt and Road (BR) International Cooperation in Beijing.
Mr. Wang said that COVID-19, with its wide-ranging impacts, is posing a challenge to mankind rarely seen
before. To defeat the virus and tide over this crisis, the world must come together in solidarity, partnership and cooperation.
“A message of unity and cooperation from Belt and Road partners will bolster our confidence in promoting Belt and Road cooperation and in defeating the virus”, the foreign Minister quoted.
He briefed the participants of the conference on progress in the BRI by saying 29 new government to government documents were signed over past year, bringing the total number of such documents to 200.
Trade and economic exchanges have continued to expand. In 2019, trade in goods between China and BRI partners topped US$1.3 trillion, up by 6 percent year on year. Chinese investment in Belt and Road countries increased by US$15 billion the FM categorically said.
He further said that, in the first quarter of this year, trade between China and BRI partners rose by 3.2 percent, and direct investment by China up by 11.7 percent on a yearly basis.
Mr. Yi shared the progress in the mini projects under BRI as he said, “The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is moving forward steadily, the Chinese and Russian sections of two new bridges, the Heihe highway bridge and Tongjiang railway bridge, have been joined, the E763 highway in Serbia and phase I of the Nairobi-Malaba railway entered into operation, the construction of the Jakarta-Bandung high speed railway is in full swing, a large number of new connectivity projects have been successfully launched, even with the impact of COVID-19, the Man Mai No. 1 Tunnel of the China-Laos railway was holed through, the Hungarian section of the Budapest-Belgrade railway has seen important progress, projects from the China-Bangladesh Padma Bridge to the dual-fuel power plant in Cambodia are well underway”.
He termed all these achievements a tool for economic growth and social stability of countries concerned.
The Minister recognized the progressive efforts of all the BRI partners during the COVID-19 pandemic and added that “China, on its part, provided assistance to 122 BRI partners to support their response to the virus. China sent medical teams to 25 countries and shared its experience in containment, diagnostics and therapeutics with all countries without reservation. Between January and May, the China-Europe Railway Express saw a 28 percent increase in freight train services, and 32 percent in freight volume”. –PR
