Xi denounced unilateral sanctions, economic pressure, decoupling, and disruptions in the supply chain, pushing back against perceived Western attempts to impede China’s progress….reports Asian Lite News
Chinese President Xi Jinping cautioned Western nations against “decoupling” from China’s economy, emphasising that China’s development should be seen as an asset, not a threat.
In a speech at the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) forum in Beijing, Xi also denounced unilateral sanctions, economic pressure, decoupling, and disruptions in the supply chain, pushing back against perceived Western attempts to impede China’s progress.
He stressed that mutual development, rather than viewing others’ growth as a threat or economic interdependence as a risk, is the path to improving one’s own well-being and advancing development. Xi asserted that when China thrives, the world benefits.
He said Belt and Road international cooperation has gotten off the ground, grown rapidly and produced fruitful outcomes over the past 10 years.
The cooperation has extended from the Eurasian continent to Africa and Latin America, and more than 150 countries and over 30 international organizations have signed Belt and Road cooperation documents, Xi said when delivering the keynote speech.
Three sessions of the forum have been held, and over 20 specialized multilateral cooperation platforms under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) have been established, Xi said.
Belt and Road cooperation has progressed from “sketching the outline” to “filling in the details,” and blueprints have been turned into real projects, Xi said, noting that a large number of signature projects and “small yet smart” people-centered programs have been launched.
Xi highlighted the guiding principles for high-quality Belt and Road cooperation in his speech.
“Important guiding principles for high-quality Belt and Road cooperation have been laid down, which include the principle of ‘planning together, building together, and benefiting together,’ the philosophy of open, green and clean cooperation, and the goal of pursuing high-standard, people-centered and sustainable cooperation,” he said.
Covering the land, the ocean, the sky and the Internet, the global network of connectivity built under the BRI has injected fresh vitality into the millennia-old Silk Road in the new era, Xi noted.
When COVID-19 struck, the Belt and Road became a life-saving road, Xi said.
China provided more than 10 billion masks and 2.3 billion doses of vaccines to other countries and jointly produced vaccines with over 20 countries, making a special contribution to BRI partners’ efforts in fighting COVID-19. And China also received valuable support from more than 70 countries when it was hit hard by the pandemic, he said.
“The BRI represents humanity’s joint pursuit of development for all,” Xi said.
Belt and Road cooperation transcends differences between civilizations, cultures, social systems, and stages of development. It has opened up a new path for exchanges among countries, and established a new framework for international cooperation, Xi said.