The Belt and Road Initiative is an important move to enhance friendship between countries and promote mutual learning between different civilizations. In history, the ancient Silk Road was not only a route of trade, but also a path of friendship that facilitated the dialogue and mutual learning between different civilizations.
The vast land along the ancient Silk Road was home to important cradles of human civilization. From the Yellow River to the Ganges, from the Nile to the blue Mediterranean, the flowers of ancient civilizations had bloomed in the course of mutual learning and became the shared memory of countries along the routes. The virtues of our ancestors must be cherished and kept alive.
Today, in a world where the economy and society have developed like unseen before, we, the builders of this global village, have every reason and the responsibility to increase exchanges and mutual learning between our peoples.
Let us carry on our civilization of glory into the future. The friendship between peoples is the foundation of state to state relations. The Belt and Road Initiative will advance both economic cooperation and people-to-people exchanges, promote the friendly interactions between the peoples of China and countries along the routes, and expand practical cooperation in culture, education, arts, science and technology, tourism, health and sports.
This will enhance mutual recognition, mutual understanding and mutual respect between peoples along the routes and lay a solid popular basis for the building of the Belt and Road and world peace and development.
The Belt and Road Initiative is a major move of China to pursue all dimensional opening-up under the new historical circumstances. It will align China's development with that of the countries along the routes, and combine the Chinese Dream and the dream of their peoples.
China is the initiator, but this is not a one man's show. The Belt and Road Initiative is about win-win cooperation and common development, not a solo performance or a zero-sum game. The Belt and Road are not private exclusive roads but wide and open avenues for us all.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
In March 2015, China's National Development and Reform Commission, joined by other government departments, issued the Vision and Actions on Jointly Building the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.
Following this roadmap, we had a good beginning during the past year. Between China and the countries along the routes, there were frequent mutual visits at high levels of the government as well as closer interactions between governments, parliaments, political parties and at sub-national levels.
Common understanding was reached in a number of areas, and over 30 cooperation agreements were signed. China and those countries worked hand in hand to seek the largest denominator in win-win cooperation and common development.
A package of major projects has started in the building of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. An overall plan is being made for the China-Mongolia-Russia economic corridor, partnering a number of cooperation projects. In pursuit of infrastructure connectivity, China's international cooperation on production capacity is well underway in more than 10 key areas, including equipment manufacturing, automobile and electronics. Over a thousand container trains have traveled between China and Central Asia or Europe.
A functional international transport mechanism linking the two ends of the Eurasian continent is up and running. The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has entered into operation, and the Silk Road Fund and several other multilateral or bilateral cooperation funds are providing continuous financing support to the Belt and Road Initiative. The RMB cross-border trading has expanded. The joint application to inscribe the portion of the Silk Road that passes through China and Central Asia on the World Heritage List was successful, and the application for the maritime Silk Road has been made.
Interactions have increased in culture, education, science and technology, tourism, business and other areas. All these have proved that the Belt and Road Initiative enjoys a promising future.
