China to invest heavily in Belt and Road countries

China will pour more investment into countries and regions related to the Belt and Road Initiative to boost international cooperation in production capacity, a senior official with the nation's top economic planning body said on Friday.

"Chinese outbound investment is forecast to total $600 billion to $800 billion over the next five years, a fairly large proportion of which will go into markets related to the Belt and Road Initiative," said Ning Jizhe, vice-minister of the National Development and Reform Commission, at a news conference.

Expanding cooperation in production capacity is an important vehicle for promoting the Belt and Road Initiative, Ning said. It has further opened up China's economy and let each country use its comparative strength to help shape a more balanced and inclusive global industrial chain.