THE ongoing 21st China International Fair for Investment & Trade (CIFIT), which closed Saturday in Xiamen, Fujian Province, has pumped new life into Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) cooperation, with enterprises and governments strengthening ties at the event.

Over 5,000 companies from nearly 100 countries and regions have flocked to the fair, seeking business opportunities and discussing hot topics such as Belt and Road construction, digital and green economies, and carbon neutrality.

Noting that China will further open up on a larger scale, on more fronts and at a deeper level, Chinese Vice Premier Hu Chunhua called for continued efforts to strengthen pragmatic cooperation with countries along the Belt and Road.

China will improve the system of pre-establishment national treatment plus a negative list, provide better support to foreign investment, and create a favorable business environment for foreign-invested firms, he said.

During these difficult times of the pandemic, the CIFIT has provided a much-needed impetus for economies along the Belt and Road against the backdrop of COVID-19.

China Wuyi, headquartered in Fujian, invested 500 million yuan (US$77.3 million) in a real estate project named Asia Plaza in the Manila Bay Area, the Philippines, which broke ground in June this year.

The Belt and Road Initiative is consistent with the long-term development trajectories of many participating countries, bringing lucrative entrepreneurship opportunities for both domestic and foreign investors.

Saudi Arabia, for instance, finds strategic synergy between the BRI and its Vision 2030 reform plan, according to Mohamed Al Ajlan, chairman of the Saudi Chinese Business Council.

Continued cooperation between China and Saudi Arabia in the near future, with a focus on attracting more Chinese investment to Saudi Arabia, will be mutually beneficial for the two sides, he said.

(Xinhua)