THE third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF) will kick off in Beijing today.

The two-day high-profile forum is the most important diplomatic event hosted by China this year, and the most significant celebration for the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

The forum is centered around the theme of High-quality Belt and Road Cooperation: Together for Common Development and Prosperity.

President Xi Jinping will deliver a keynote speech at the opening ceremony.

Representatives from over 140 countries and 30-plus international organizations have confirmed their attendance at the forum. More than 4,000 delegates have registered for participation.

Xi will work with all participants to draw a new blueprint for high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.

Three high-level forums will be held simultaneously for in-depth discussions on connectivity, green development and the digital economy.

Additionally, six thematic forums will be conducted under the topics of trade connectivity, people-to-people bonds, think tank exchanges, clean silk road, subnational cooperation, and maritime cooperation.

A Chair’s Statement will be issued to capture the consensus reached by participants and lay out the future direction and key areas of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.

A List of Multilateral Cooperation Deliverables and a List of Practical Projects will also be released to present the outcomes reached under the framework of the three high-level forums and six thematic forums.

The third BRF is expected to produce substantial outcomes, both in the forms of cooperation documents, initiatives and mechanisms, and in terms of projects, funds and measures.The total number of deliverables is likely to exceed those of the previous two forums, Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu told Xinhua in an interview.

Wang Wen, executive dean of the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at the Renmin University of China, believes that these new gains will continue to support participating nations in overcoming connectivity bottlenecks, eradicating poverty, improving people’s lives, and increasing employment.

In 2013, Xi unveiled his proposal to jointly build a Silk Road Economic Belt and a 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, dubbed the BRI.

The BRI was proposed by China, but it belongs to the whole world, Xi said during the first BRF in 2017.

Since its launch 10 years ago, the BRI has evolved from ideas into actions, from a vision into reality. By June, China had signed more than 200 BRI cooperation agreements with over 150 countries and 30-plus international organizations across five continents.   (Xinhua)

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