Xinhua Agency, Beijing, December 3 Title: Promoting high-quality joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative and making steady progress-President Xi Jinping's important speech has greatly enhanced the confidence and confidence of all countries in jointly building the Belt and Road Initiative

Xinhua Agency reporter Wang Yanan He Mengshu

Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, President of the State, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, attended the fourth symposium on the construction of the "Belt and Road" in Beijing on the 2nd and delivered an important speech, making comprehensive arrangements for promoting the high-quality development of the "Belt and Road" joint construction at present and in the future.

In interviews with reporters from Xinhua Agency, people from many countries said that President Xi Jinping's important speech accurately grasped the general trend of historical development, guided the way forward for promoting the steady and long-term development of the high-quality joint construction of the "Belt and Road" during the critical period, and enhanced the confidence and confidence of all parties to join hands to overcome various risks and challenges and continuously expand new space for win-win development. Looking to the future, the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" will surely bring more and more substantial sense of gain and happiness to the people of the co-building countries, and open up broader prospects for the common development of mankind.

"Catalyst for global development"

President Xi Jinping's important speech fully affirmed the major achievements made in the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, pointing out that China has made contributions to enhancing friendship with the co-construction countries and promoting the economic and social development of the co-construction countries. People from many countries share this sentiment and highly agree that the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" will bring tangible and heavy results.

"The joint construction of the 'Belt and Road' is a successful example of President Xi Jinping's promotion of South-South cooperation." said Veronica Saraswati, director of the China Partnership Research Center. She summarized the three major impacts of the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" cooperation: it has achieved remarkable results in promoting economic development and promoting employment in the co-construction countries; investment in energy, water conservancy and other infrastructure to enhance the ability to cope with poverty; and providing inclusive education and Training opportunities to help local technical talents. "Taking the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway as an example, after the project was opened to traffic, it greatly reduced the travel time from Jakarta to Bandung, greatly improved transportation connectivity, promoted commercial and economic development in the areas along the route, and created new opportunities for the tourism industry."

"Practice over the past ten years has shown that the joint construction of the 'Belt and Road' is a strong catalyst for achieving common prosperity and development." Yasiru Ranaraja, founding director of Sri Lanka's Belt and Road Organization and expert on international issues, said that the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" cooperation will help the co-construction country build infrastructure such as ports, railways and highways, strengthen connectivity, reduce trade costs, and promote local small and medium-sized enterprises to better integrate into the global supply chain. "The Hambantota Port in Sri Lanka and the Colombo International Container Terminal have developed under the framework of the joint construction of the 'Belt and Road', attracting more investment and increasing trade volume. These cooperation projects help Sri Lanka become an important node on maritime trade routes, promote the development of regional trade networks, integrate the local economy into global value chains, and contribute to economic globalization."

Kenyan expert on international issues Remi Nyongesa Mulaku pointed out that the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" is deeply aligned with Africa's development agenda and helps Africa achieve the goal of industrialization and promote Africa's development to a new level through cooperation in roads, railways, information and communication technology, industrial parks and special economic zones. He cited Kenya as an example and said that the construction of infrastructure such as roads, railways, and ports has significantly enhanced Kenya's position as an economic hub in East Africa; Kenyan and Chinese companies have cooperated to promote the rapid development of Kenya's digital economy; and the training programs provided by China have strongly supported Kenya and other African countries Cultivate talents..."Kenya should further deeply integrate the 'Belt and Road' project into its national development plan."

Eduardo Klingel, academician of the Academy of Sciences of the Dominican Republic and director of the Center for Analysis and Research on China and Asian Issues, described the results of the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" as "tangible" and "remarkable results." "The practice of jointly building the 'Belt and Road' shows that co-building countries can achieve development by improving infrastructure and logistics conditions." Klingel said that under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, more than 3000 cooperation projects have been formed to promote the implementation of key infrastructure such as ports, airports, bridges, pipelines, railways and viaducts. "The joint construction of the 'Belt and Road' will continue to be a catalyst for global development."

"Focus on tailoring according to the actual needs of each country"

President Xi Jinping pointed out that the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" has entered a new stage of high-quality development, and emphasized coordinating and deepening the "hard connectivity" of infrastructure,"soft connectivity" of rules and standards, and "heart-to-heart connectivity" with the people of the co-construction countries, coordinating and promoting the construction of major landmark projects, coordinating and consolidating cooperation in traditional fields and steadily expanding cooperation in emerging fields, improving and promoting the high-quality joint construction of the "Belt and Road", and continuously expanding higher-level, more resilient, A more sustainable new space for win-win development.

"President Xi Jinping has outlined a clear path for high-quality joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative." Kissei Zoltan, director of the Political Analysis Center of the Sazodweg Foundation in Hungary, said that as the world enters a new period of turbulence and change, President Xi Jinping has once again made systematic arrangements to promote the high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative., providing planning security and predictability for co-construction countries and related enterprises. "By coordinating and deepening the 'hard connectivity' of infrastructure and the 'soft connectivity' of rules and standards, the construction of the 'Belt and Road' will move to a higher level, and the co-construction countries will gain greater development space in cooperation and exchanges with China."

From Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville Port Expressway, Siem Reap Angkor International Airport to Sihanoukville Port Special Economic Zone... Tong Meng Dawei, a researcher at the Institute of International Studies and Public Policy, Royal University of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, details Cambodia and China jointly build key projects for cooperation in the Belt and Road Initiative. He pointed out that the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" cooperation focuses on the docking of development strategies and complementary advantages, and organically integrates with Cambodia's "Five-Corner Strategy" and plays a crucial role in realizing the common vision of peaceful development, win-win cooperation, and common prosperity. important role. China proposes to accelerate the construction of the Green Silk Road and the Digital Silk Road. Relevant projects will provide more opportunities for Cambodia to develop clean energy, modernize information and communication infrastructure, and promote digital economic growth.

Shakeel Ramai, CEO of the Asian Ecological Civilization Research and Development Institute in Pakistan, said that the overall construction idea of Gwadar Port, one of the pillar projects of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, is precisely the "coordinated promotion of major landmark projects and 'small but beautiful' livelihood projects" A vivid portrayal. "In Gwadar Port, there are key landmark projects such as the free zone, the East Bay Expressway, and the New International Airport, which have built 'strong muscles and bones' for the economy of Gwadar Port and even the entire Pakistan. At the same time, schools, hospitals, desalination plants, China-Pakistan Friendship Forest and other 'small but beautiful' livelihood projects have brought great help to local people's daily education, medical care, and water use."

Teng Shaojun, president of the US-China Public Affairs Association, believes that the high-quality joint construction of the "Belt and Road" has three outstanding characteristics: win-win cooperation, focusing on tailoring projects according to the actual needs of various countries; sustainable development, integrating green development concepts, and promoting clean energy, environmental protection infrastructure and other projects to achieve coordinated economic and ecological development; extensive participation, through multilateral mechanisms and regional collaboration, attract more countries and enterprises to participate, and build an open and inclusive cooperation platform. He said that the high-quality joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative "helps developing countries achieve economic development and improvement of people's livelihood by improving infrastructure, promoting economic growth, creating jobs and improving public services, and provides support for sustainable development."

"Helping lead mankind towards a better future"

In recent years, the world has entered a new period of turbulence and change. Unilateralism and protectionism have increased significantly, and local conflicts and turmoil have occurred frequently. President Xi Jinping pointed out that in the current severe and complex international environment, opportunities and challenges coexist in promoting the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, but overall the opportunities outweigh the challenges. President Xi Jinping's in-depth exposition on the new situation faced by the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" has aroused resonance among people from many countries.

"The Belt and Road Initiative plays an indispensable role in promoting practical cooperation, especially in this era full of uncertainty and global crises." Essam Jubaisi, CEO of Saudi Arabia's Business Intelligence Group, said,"The joint construction of the 'Belt and Road' plays a key role in building development consensus and promoting inclusive growth. Through common projects, countries can overcome differences and work together to achieve common goals. The joint construction of the 'Belt and Road' focuses on development, innovation, and connectivity, providing opportunities for all countries to jointly respond to urgent global challenges and promote the construction of a more balanced and harmonious world."

Dennis Munene, executive director of the China-Africa Center of the Kenya African Policy Institute, pointed out that the current rise of trade protectionism and anti-globalization trends has had a serious impact on the global economy. The Belt and Road Initiative promotes the strengthening of international cooperation and exchanges, injects new vitality into globalization, and helps reduce regional conflicts and maintain world peace and stability. "Those voices opposing cooperation in the Belt and Road Initiative may stem from the hope of certain countries or groups that the African continent remains underdeveloped because they benefit from Africa's underdevelopment. The joint construction of the 'Belt and Road' cooperation has brought changes to the African continent and given African countries more say and independent development capabilities."

President Xi Jinping pointed out that we must adhere to one blueprint to the end, work one after another, have the courage to overcome various risks and challenges, unswervingly promote high-quality joint construction of the "Belt and Road", and make greater contributions to promoting the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind.

"The joint construction of the 'Belt and Road' initiative has been widely recognized by countries around the world. Many countries in Asia, Europe, Africa, the Americas and other regions have signed cooperation documents with China to jointly build the 'Belt and Road'. This not only promotes regional development cooperation, but also promotes It reshapes the international economic landscape and strengthens multilateralism." Serchuk Chorakoglu, director of the Asia-Pacific Research Center of Turkey, said,"From this perspective, the joint construction of the 'Belt and Road' initiative has brought new impetus and perspectives to global economic governance."

This year, former senior diplomat of South Africa, Hurt Grobler, together with scholars from many African countries, jointly wrote a letter to President Xi Jinping, highly appreciating the historic achievements of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. Grobler pointed out that the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" aims at building a community with a shared future for mankind, focuses on the future and overall interests of mankind, conforms to changes in the world situation, and meets the expectations of the international community."It may be the most ambitious cooperation initiative in history, will help lead mankind towards a better future."