Update | Your quick guide to what Xi Jinping said in his ‘Belt and Road’ keynote speech
China’s President Xi Jinping sought to attract countries to join his ambitious “Belt and Road Initiative” at an international forum on Sunday.
Xi’s massive trade and investment grand plan seeks to connect nations along the new Silk Road routes through economic cooperation and infrastructure development.
We sum up Xi’s key offerings as covered in his keynote speech at the Belt and Road summit on Sunday morning.
Boosting funds
Countering protectionism
“China’s Belt and Road Initiative is based on the historic roots of the Silk Road, it focuses on Asia, Europe and African continents, and is open to all friends,” Xi said.
Speaking against the rising trend of protectionism characterised by some of US President Donald Trump’s policies, the Chinese leader said that two millennia ago, the ancient trade routes used to be open, tolerant and strove towards win-win cooperation. The modern world today, being more interconnected than ever, was in a position where difficulties could be resolved in many different ways, he said.
“We are living in a world with constant challenges: The world economy needs new growth drivers, its development needs to be more balanced and universal, the wealth gap should be narrowed, while some regions are plagued with turbulence and terrorism,” Xi said. “Peace, development and governance are challenges for all human beings. This is what I keep thinking about.”