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The foreign ministry on Wednesday said the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation – bringing together representatives of at least 130 countries and 30 global organisations – would be held from October 17 to 18. The forum was last held in 2019.
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China’s Belt and Road, 10 years on
China’s Belt and Road, 10 years on
But a round-table event held previously is not likely to be on this year’s line-up and Beijing has invited only a select list of leaders to the forum, diplomatic sources told the Post.
Sources told the Post that some leaders who have met Xi since China reopened its borders following three years of Covid-19 closure had not received invitations to the forum.
But they said there were exceptions, including leaders of strategic partners in Southeast Asia and Africa such as Indonesian President Joko Widodo, who chaired last month’s Asean summit, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
Indonesia gets its China-backed ‘Whoosh’ high-speed railway rolling
Indonesia gets its China-backed ‘Whoosh’ high-speed railway rolling
The foreign ministry has made no mention of the round-table event that has previously brought together state leaders and the heads of international organisations.
Li Kexin, head of the ministry’s Department of International Economic Affairs, on Wednesday said the forum would be “not only the most grand event in the Belt and Road Initiative’s 10 years, but also an important platform for all parties to develop collaborative and high-quality cooperation”.
This year’s conference will be a day shorter than the previous events. There will also be fewer discussions on the agenda, with nine thematic forums to be held – down from 12. Three of the forums will be exclusively for high-level officials, discussing interconnectivity, green development and the digital economy. Sea cooperation has also been added, an area Beijing has given more priority in recent years. The CEO summit, which some 800 chief executives attended last time, will again be held.
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China announces US$3.8 billion Belt and Road expansion in Central Asia
China announces US$3.8 billion Belt and Road expansion in Central Asia
China has spent hundreds of billions of US dollars on overseas infrastructure since Xi announced his signature project in 2013 and is redoubling efforts to boost trade relations with its programme partners.
When Beijing hosted the last belt and road conference in 2019, 37 heads of state and seven high-level and international organisation representatives were among around 5,000 delegates attending the event, according to the forum’s official website.
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