President sets out vision for BRI's future

He calls for comprehensive measures to give initiative a more effective role

President Xi Jinping set out on Friday a new vision for the Belt and Road Initiative, highlighting the need to make it high-standard, sustainable and beneficial to public well-being and support developing nations in going green and low-carbon in their energy sectors.

China will consolidate the foundation for BRI cooperation on interconnectivity and create new opportunities for international cooperation, Xi said at the third symposium on the development of the initiative in Beijing.

Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, stressed the importance of striving to attain a higher level of cooperation, higher investment efficiency, higher quality of supply and greater resilience in the growth of the initiative.

China has signed cooperation documents on jointly building the Belt and Road with 140 countries and 32 international organizations since the BRI was proposed by Xi in 2013.

Xi pointed out that, with the new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial revolution bringing about unprecedentedly fierce competition, and climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic exerting an unprecedented influence on humanity, the international environment for the BRI is becoming increasingly complex.

Xi highlighted the significance of harnessing the foundation of growth, deepening political mutual trust and giving play to the guiding and catalyzing role of policy dialogue.

It is also important to explore the establishment of more cooperation mechanisms, translate political consensuses into concrete actions and turn the recognition of concepts into pragmatic outcomes, he said.

He urged steps to bolster land, maritime, air transport and internet interconnectivity, with steps to deepen cooperation in both traditional and new types of infrastructure programs and to lift the level of alignment in rules and standards.

In promoting unimpeded trade flows, he called for measures to expand trade with neighboring countries, encourage imports of more high-quality products and improve the level of trade and investment liberalization and facilitation.

The president underscored the necessity to continue expanding cooperation in three-party or multiparty markets and conduct more cooperation on production capacity, adding that participation by multilateral development agencies and financial institutions from developed nations should be encouraged.

To expand the cooperation areas of the BRI, Xi urged steady steps to conduct cooperation in new areas such as health, green development, digitalization and innovation, adding that China will continue to do its best to help nations participating in the BRI to fight the pandemic.

In supporting the green transition of developing nations, it is important to promote information sharing and capacity building in green and low-carbon development and to deepen ecology, environment and climate governance cooperation, he said.

Xi highlighted the need to deepen digital cooperation, develop Silk Road e-commerce and formulate a pattern for digital cooperation, adding that international cooperation in intellectual property rights protection must be scaled up.

The president expounded on the role of the initiative in serving China's efforts to foster a new development paradigm, which he said should be planned in coordination with the BRI.

He called for heightened efforts to ensure stable industry and supply chains and promote the diversification of sources.

It is important to strengthen risk prevention and control across the board, including steps to carry out risk management mechanisms, he said.

The nation must explore the establishment of an all-weather early warning and evaluation service platform for risks faced by its overseas programs to enable timely risk warning and evaluation on a regular basis, he said.

He also required greater coordination in mechanisms for the protection of overseas interests, international counterterrorism and security, saying that all-out efforts must be made to ensure the safety and mental health of staff stationed overseas.

Xi underlined the significance of accelerating the development of a sound system of laws and regulations targeting corruption overseas and enhancing efforts to investigate cross-border corruption.