BRI not meant to be ‘China club’

Xi stresses shared growth, dialogue among countries, win-win results

The Belt and Road Initiative does not aim at a geopolitical or military alliance, nor will it establish a small bloc or set up a “China club”, President Xi Jinping said on Monday.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remark while presiding over a meeting that marks the fifth anniversary of his proposal of the BRI.

China will uphold dialogue and coordination, pursue shared growth, seek win-win cooperation and boost communication with countries along the routes of the BRI to strengthen political mutual trust, enhance integration of economies and expand people-to-people exchanges, Xi said.

The Belt and Road Initiative, put forward by Xi in 2013, aims to build the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road to achieve policy, infrastructure, trade, financial and people-to-people connectivity and build a new platform for international cooperation.

The initiative, which reflects a sense of a community with a shared future, has provided new thoughts and solutions for the reform of the global governance system, Xi said at the meeting on Monday.

During the meeting, Xi was briefed by six government officials, two entrepreneurs and a researcher on the current situation of building the Belt and Road as well as proposals and suggestions.

China has promoted free trade and facilitated investment through jointly building the Belt and Road with other countries, Xi said, adding that China’s trade volume with countries involved in the BRI has exceeded $5 trillion in the past five years.

Xi told the officials and entrepreneurs to have strategic views, set a global vision, have a sense of risk and at the same time seize the historic opportunity in order to move forward in the right direction when facing great changes.

The significance of jointly building the Belt and Road goes beyond economic cooperation, and it is a great way to improve the global development model and promote economic globalization, Xi said.

Saying that the BRI has gained wide support from the world, Xi added that it responded to the wishes of relevant countries, especially developing nations, to promote peace and pursue development.

Xi said that building the Belt and Road should mean pursuit of high-quality development, with focus on such things as construction of major projects in infrastructure and production capacity cooperation.

Xi required the addressing of key issues including major projects, financial support, investment environment, risk management and security in order to achieve more tangible outcomes.

Xi also required carrying out more projects that could benefit the local people along the routes of the BRI, expanding markets and investments, making efforts to ensure financial support and boosting exchanges in education, science, culture, sports and tourism.

The president called for great attention to preventing risks overseas, improving the system of security precautions and raising the capability to deal with risks overseas.

China-Maldives Friendship Bridge, part of the Belt and Road Initiative, nears completion in June. The bridge, in the Maldives, was finished in July.