Unparalleled Belt and Road Cooperation By: Nong Rong-Ambassador, People's Republic of China to Pakistan.

On June 23, the Asia and Pacific High-level Conference on the Belt and Road Cooperation was successfully held. It was attended by political leaders from 29 countries, and representatives from six international organisations including the United Nations. Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered written remarks. State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi presided over the meeting. HE Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi addressed the function.

The conference, where attending parties vowed to enhance efforts to jointly fight the pandemic and boost the green economy for a sustainable recovery, is regarded as a signal to show that the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the 2013- born framework, has endured the test of Covid-19 and continues to be vigorous in buttressing regional economies hit hard by the pandemic.

As an influential and popular initiative, the BRI has withstood the test of times, with distinguished characteristics. First, the BRI is not meant for geopolitics, nor for competition, but for practical needs for development. As President Xi points out, the BRI aims to carry on the Silk Road spirit and co-build an open platform for cooperation to generate new driving forces for the development of all countries. Therefore, by the time China realised that while the infrastructure and energy sectors were the major obstacles for many developing countries, they could not be solved due to lack of fund.

China has committed itself to investing in the BRI countries to meet their urgently needed projects. Take the energy projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) for example. They now stand a quarter of Pakistan's power supply, and have become the guarantee of the wellbeing of the people and the functioning of the economy. Second, the BRI is not a slogan, but an endeavour that yields tangible results and progress. Over the past eight years, the BRI has evolved from vision into reality, and brought about enormous opportunities and benefits to countries around the world.

Trade between China and the BRI partners has exceeded $9.2 trillion. Direct investment by Chinese companies in countries along the Belt and Road has surpassed $130 billion. A World Bank report suggests that when fully implemented, the BRI could increase global trade by 6.2% and global real income by 2.9%, and give a significant boost to global growth. Third, the BRI is built for connectivity, not for confrontation or isolation.

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