Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, October 18

Build an open, inclusive, interconnected and common development world

——Keywordsperson at the opening ceremony of the 3rd Belt and Road International Cooperation Summit Forum

(Beijing, October 18, 2023)

President Xi Jinping of the People's Republic of China

Dear heads of state and government,

Dear leaders of international organizations,

Representatives of various countries,

Dear guests,

Ladies and gentlemen, friends:

Today, we are here to hold the opening ceremony of the third Belt and Road International Cooperation Summit Forum. On behalf of the Chinese government and the Chinese people, and in my personal name, I would like to extend a warm welcome to all the guests!

This year marks the 10th anniversary of my proposal to jointly build the "Belt and Road" initiative. The original intention of putting forward this initiative is to learn from the ancient Silk Road, take connectivity as the main line, strengthen policy communication, facility connectivity, smooth trade, financial and people-to-people communication with other countries, inject new impetus into world economic growth, open up new space for global development, and create a new platform for international economic cooperation.

Over the past 10 years, we have adhered to our original aspirations and worked together to promote the vigorous development of the "Belt and Road" international cooperation from nothing to something, and achieved fruitful results.

The "Belt and Road" cooperation extends from the Eurasian continent to Africa and Latin America. More than 150 countries and more than 30 international organizations have signed cooperation documents on jointly building the "Belt and Road", held the three "Belt and Road" International Cooperation Summit Forum, and established multilateral cooperation platforms in more than 20 professional fields.

The "Belt and Road" cooperation has gone from "freehand brushwork" to the "fine brushwork" stage, transforming the planning map into real-life pictures, and a large number of landmark projects and "small but beautiful" projects that benefit people's livelihood have taken root.

The "Belt and Road" cooperation has expanded from hard Unicom to soft Unicom. Consultation, joint construction and sharing, openness, greenness and integrity, and high standards to benefit people's livelihood and sustainability have become an important guiding principle for high-quality joint construction of the "Belt and Road".

Over the past 10 years, we have been committed to building a global interconnection network led by the economic corridor, with large channels and information expressways as the framework, and relying on railways, highways, airports, ports, and pipelines, covering land, sea, sky and networks. We have effectively promoted the large-scale circulation of goods, funds, technologies and personnel in various countries, and promoted the thousand-year-old ancient Silk Road to revitalize new vitality in the new era.

The trains running on the railway, cars galloping on the highway, air flights connecting various countries, freighters that cut through the waves, and fast and convenient digital e-commerce have become the camel bells and sail shadows of international trade in the new era.

Hydropower stations, wind power stations, photovoltaic power stations, oil and gas pipelines, and increasingly intelligent transmission networks have made energy shortage no longer a bottleneck for development, and have illuminated the dream of green and low-carbon development in developing countries, becoming an oasis and beacon for sustainable development in the new era.

Modern airports and docks, smooth roads, and economic and trade industry cooperation parks that have risen from the ground have given birth to new economic corridors, stimulated new growth momentum, and became commercial avenues and stations in the new era.

The wonderful cultural year, art festival, expo, exhibition, unique cultural exchange projects such as Luban Workshop, "A Family in the Silk Road" and "Light Travel", and the continuous deepening exchanges between non-governmental organizations, think tanks, media, and youth, play the Silk Road music of the new era.

After the outbreak of the new crown epidemic, the "Belt and Road" has become a path of life and health. China has provided tens of billions of masks and 2.3 billion doses of vaccines to various countries, and has cooperated with more than 20 countries to produce vaccines, making unique contributions to the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" partners in fighting the epidemic. China also received valuable support from more than 70 countries during the worst of the epidemic.

The joint construction of the "Belt and Road" insists on consultation, joint construction and sharing, crosses the differences in different civilizations, cultures, social systems, and development stages, opens up new paths for exchanges among countries, builds a new framework for international cooperation, and brings together the greatest common divisor of common development of mankind.

Ladies, gentlemen, friends!

The achievements made in the past 10 years are precious and the experience is worth summarizing.

We deeply realize that mankind is an interdependent community of shared future. Only when the world is good can China be good; only when China is good can China be better. By jointly building the "Belt and Road", China's door to opening up has become wider and wider, inland areas have changed from "back" to "forward", coastal areas have become open and developed to a higher level, and the Chinese market has become closer to the world market. China has become the main trading partner of more than 140 countries and regions and is the main source of investment for more and more countries. Whether it is China's foreign investment or foreign investment in China, it demonstrates friendship and cooperation, and reflects confidence and hope.

We deeply realize that only through win-win cooperation can we accomplish things, do good things, and do big things. As long as countries have the desire to cooperate and coordinated actions, the natural barrier can become a thoroughfare, the "land-locked country" can become a "land-union country", and the depression of development can become a prosperous highland. Countries with faster economic development should help others who are temporarily behind. As long as everyone regards each other as friends and partners, respects, supports each other, and achieves each other, and gives roses to others, the fragrance will linger in your hands, and making others successful will also help you. Viewing other people's development as a threat and economic interdependence as a risk will not make yourself live better and develop faster.

We deeply realize that the Silk Road spirit of peaceful cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning and mutual benefit and win-win is the most important source of strength for jointly building the "Belt and Road". I once said that the reason why the ancient Silk Road was famous in history was not because of war horses and spears, but camel caravans and kindness; it was not strong ships and sharp cannons, but treasure ships and friendship. The joint construction of the "Belt and Road" focuses on the high fireworks of everyone, helping each other and going far. It advocates that oneself live well and make others live well. It practices interconnection, mutual benefit, and seeks common development and win-win cooperation. We do not engage in ideological confrontation, geopolitical games, or group political confrontation. We do not engage in unilateral sanctions, economic coercion, and "decoupling and chain breakage".

The 10-year journey has proved that the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" has stood on the right side of history, conformed to the logic of the progress of the times, and followed the right path on earth. We must have the determination to be calm and calm, and to be responsible to history, the people and the world, we must work together to deal with various global risks and challenges, and create a better future for peace, development, cooperation and win-win for future generations.

Ladies, gentlemen, friends!

At present, the changes in the world, the changes in the times, and the changes in history are unfolding in unprecedented ways. China is comprehensively promoting the great cause of building a strong country and national rejuvenation with Chinese modernization. What we pursue is not China's independent modernization, but we hope to work with all countries, including the vast number of developing countries to achieve modernization together. World modernization should be the modernization of peaceful development, the modernization of mutually beneficial cooperation, and the modernization of common prosperity. On the road ahead, there are good times and bad times. We must adhere to goal-oriented and action-oriented approaches, stick to the green mountains and never relax, and draw a blueprint to the end. China is willing to deepen the "Belt and Road" cooperative partnership with all parties, promote the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" into a new stage of high-quality development, and make unremitting efforts to achieve modernization of countries around the world.

Here, I would like to announce eight actions to support high-quality joint construction of the "Belt and Road":

1. Build a three-dimensional interconnection network of the "Belt and Road". China will accelerate the high-quality development of China-Europe freight trains, participate in the construction of the trans-Caspian international transport corridor, hold the China-Europe freight train international cooperation forum, and work with all parties to build a new logistics channel for the Eurasian continent supported by direct railway and highway transportation. Actively promote the integrated development of port, shipping and trade in the "Silk Road Maritime Transportation" and accelerate the construction of the new land-sea channel and the air Silk Road.

2. Support the construction of an open world economy. China will create a "Silk Road E-commerce" cooperation pilot zone and negotiate and sign free trade agreements and investment protection agreements with more countries. Completely cancel restrictions on foreign investment access in the manufacturing sector. Actively compare international high-standard economic and trade rules, deepen the high-level opening up of cross-border service trade and investment, expand market access to digital products, and deepen reforms in the fields of state-owned enterprises, digital economy, intellectual property rights, government procurement, etc. China will hold the "Global Digital Trade Expo" every year. In the next five years (2024-2028), China's import and export volume of goods and services is expected to exceed US$32 trillion and US$5 trillion.

3. Carry out practical cooperation. China will coordinate the promotion of landmark projects and "small but beautiful" people's livelihood projects. The China Development Bank and the Export-Import Bank of China will each set up a financing window of RMB 350 billion, and the Silk Road Fund will add RMB 80 billion to support the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" project in a market-oriented and commercial manner. The Entrepreneurs Conference held during this summit forum reached a project cooperation agreement of US$97.2 billion. China will also implement 1,000 small livelihood assistance projects, promote Sino-foreign vocational education cooperation through Luban Workshops, and work with all parties to strengthen the security guarantee for the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" projects and personnel.

4. Promote green development. China will continue to deepen cooperation in green infrastructure, green energy, green transportation and other fields, increase support for the International Alliance for Green Development of the Belt and Road, continue to hold the Belt and Road Green Innovation Conference, and build a photovoltaic industry dialogue and exchange mechanism and a green and low-carbon expert network. Implement the green investment principle of the "Belt and Road" and carry out training for partner countries by 2030.

5. Promote scientific and technological innovation. China will continue to implement the "Belt and Road" scientific and technological innovation action plan, hold the first "Belt and Road" science and technology exchange conference, and expand the joint laboratories jointly built with all parties to 100 in the next five years, and support young scientists from all countries to work in China in the short term. China will put forward a global artificial intelligence governance initiative at this forum and is willing to strengthen exchanges and dialogue with all countries to jointly promote the healthy, orderly and safe development of global artificial intelligence.

6. Support folk exchanges. China will hold the "Liangzhu Forum" to deepen the dialogue on civilization between countries that jointly build the "Belt and Road". On the basis of the Silk Road International Theater, Art Festival, Museum, Art Gallery and Library Alliance, the Silk Road Tourism City Alliance has been established. Continue to implement the "Silk Road" Chinese government scholarship program.

7. Build a path to integrity. China will work with partners to release the "Achievements and Outlook on the Construction of Integrity in the Belt and Road Integrity", launch the "Advanced Principles on Integrity in the Belt and Road Integrity Construction", establish an "Belt and Road" enterprise integrity and compliance evaluation system, and cooperate with international organizations to carry out "Belt and Road Integrity research and training.

8. Improve the international cooperation mechanism of the "Belt and Road". China will work with countries in jointly building the "Belt and Road" to strengthen the construction of multilateral cooperation platforms in the fields of energy, taxation, finance, green development, disaster reduction, anti-corruption, think tanks, media, culture, etc. Continue to hold the "Belt and Road" International Cooperation Summit Forum and establish the Summit Forum Secretariat.

Ladies, gentlemen, friends!

Ten years of wind and rain, ten years of spring and autumn fruits. The joint construction of the "Belt and Road" originated from China, and the achievements and opportunities belong to the world. Let us remember the expectations of the people, bravely shoulder the burden of history, keep the pulse of the times, carry forward the past and move forward bravely, deepen international cooperation in the "Belt and Road", welcome the new development of the joint construction of the "Belt and Road", promote the realization of modernization of countries around the world, build an open, inclusive, interconnected and common development, and jointly promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind!

I wish the third "Belt and Road" International Cooperation Summit Forum a complete success!

Thank you everyone.