Chinese President Xi Jinping and other delegates attending the Belt and Road Forum (BRF) for International Cooperation pose for a group photo in Beijing, capital of China, May 14, 2017. Xi attended the opening ceremony of the forum and delivered a keynote speech. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei)
INFRASTRUCTURE AND BEYOND
The "courageous" vision of the Belt and Road Initiative is becoming a reality and bearing rich fruit in more fields than expected.
Four years after it was proposed, Belt and Road countries have seen increased connectivity in policies, infrastructure, trade and finance, as well as strengthened people-to-people bonds.
According to World Trade Organization Director General Roberto Azevedo, infrastructure is essential, a point also highlighted by special envoy of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Minister of Economic Affairs Brigitte Zypries.
"A lack of proper transport network was on top of the trade cost list and the One belt, One Road is hugely important in responding to this need," Azevedo told an international audience at the high-level meeting of the Belt and Road forum.
Calling the forum "a new and decisive step in the progress of the initiative," special envoy of France's just sworn-in President Emmanuel Macron, former French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin noted the development potential brought by the Belt and Road Initiative in tourism, financing, culture and environment.
"The Belt and Road Initiative is about connecting cultures, communities, economies, and people, and about adding new economic flavors by creating infrastructure projects that are based on 21st-century expertise and governance standards," said International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde.
Greece also highly values the initiative, with Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras saying it brings important opportunities for people-to-people contact, cultural exchanges and tourism.
