‘Cooperate or stop criticising’, China’s foreign minister Wang Yi says as belt and road summit nears
- Beijing’s global trade plan is a platform for cooperation, not a tool to boost geopolitical influence, diplomat says
- 40 heads of state, representatives of 150 countries set to take part in global conference from April 25-27
Speaking at a press conference ahead of the second Belt and Road Forum, State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi also issued a thinly veil rebuke to Washington, saying it should not prevent other countries from taking part in Beijing’s plan for boosting global trade and connectivity.
Amid growing criticism of the plan, Wang sought to dispel concerns it was being used by Beijing to promote its global ambitions or was creating debt traps for host nations.
“The ‘Belt and Road Initiative’ is not a geopolitical tool but a platform for cooperation,” he said. “We welcome all parties to take part in it.”
Among those expected to attend next week’s summit are Russian President Vladimir Putin, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, the 10 Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) heads of state, and the leaders of Italy, Austria, Switzerland, France, and several African and Central Asian countries.
The United States will send only low-level representatives – mostly state-level officials and business representatives – to the event while India has refused to attend in part because of a China-led belt and road project in Pakistan that passes through the Pakistan-administered section of the disputed Kashmir region.