Chinese envoy says BRI to create new opportunities for Sino-British 'golden era'

LONDON -- The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) will create more opportunities for deeper Sino-British collaboration and ensure wider, higher and deeper development of the "golden era" of bilateral ties, Chinese Ambassador to Britain Liu Xiaoming said Tuesday.

In an article entitled "The new journey for BRI means new opportunities for China-UK 'golden era'" published in the Daily Telegraph and China Daily joint column "China Watch," Liu said that "in my nearly ten years as ambassador to the United Kingdom I have witnessed with my own eyes the growth of China-UK cooperation on the BRI."

British Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond has attended the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF) as the special representative of Prime Minister Theresa May twice in Beijing.

Hammond called Britain a "natural partner" of China in advancing the BRI at the first BRF and proposed combining the best of Chinese manufacturing, engineering and construction with the best of British expertise in project design and legal, technical and financial services at the second BRF, the Chinese envoy recalled in his article.

Proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, the BRI has extended from Asia and Europe to Africa, Americas and Oceania, opening up new space for the world economy with better-than-expected results. More than 150 countries and international organizations have signed BRI cooperation documents with China.

The BRI always advocates transparency as a way to eliminate the breeding ground of conspiracy or corruption, said the ambassador, citing the example of the launch of the Beijing Initiative for the Clean Silk Road and the multilateral cooperation among BRI partners on customs, taxation and audit supervision as well as anti-corruption training courses.

"The BRI is not an exclusive club. It is open to financial institutions from all countries, including multilateral ones, and it encourages third-market cooperation so that the benefits of BRI development are shared by many," he said.

High-quality BRI cooperation places people first, encourages deeper collaboration on cultural and people-to-people exchanges, and focuses on eradicating poverty, increasing employment and improving people's lives, Liu said.

High quality also means higher standards for green and sustainable development and the BRI aims to promote green development, he added.

In promoting steady, sustained, high-quality BRI development, China opens its arms to all countries including Britain and stands ready to enhance policy synergy, so as to build better relations with Britain and other countries and deliver more benefits to the people of our two countries and beyond, Liu said.