BRI path to economic development, global peace

The Belt and Road Initiative will not only promote economic development, but also help keep world peace, a head of an international organization said about President Xi Jinping's speech.

President Xi delivered a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing on Friday.

Umberto de Pretto, secretary general of the International Road Transport Union (IRU), said Xi's speech has brought confidence to every one of the initiative as the president "came with facts about what has been achieved".

"What he came with was real results – and not only with the results in the last two years, but what are the next steps to take," he said. "We have 37 leaders here today, and perhaps it [the number] will increase to 50 (for the next forum). …I think more and more world leaders will want to be part of this initiative, because it is a global initiative."

De Pretto said the initiative proposed a vision that "the only way to move forward is to work together and to combat the protectionism", and the way to progress is "to trade and to interconnect".

Xi said at the opening ceremony that China will increase imports of goods and services on a larger scale.

De Pretto said this will also have great influence on the future work of IRU and its TIR, an international customs transit and guarantee system that allows trucks and goods to go through borders more quickly.

"This is a genuine commitment of opening up," he said. "It dispels the great skepticism (from outside) that China doesn't really want to open up."

De Pretto said the initiative would also help keep world peace as it breaks protectionism and brings hopes to everyone.

"Historically, the more protectionism we have, the more it reduces economies and increases unemployment. And there will be more social upheavals," he said.

While, by bringing more jobs and distributing prosperity, the initiative will not only promote global development, but keep world peaceful and stable as well, he said.