China’s Wang Yi urges closer ties with South Asia under Belt and Road Initiative
- South Asian countries welcome ‘to continue to ride on China’s development momentum’, Wang Yi tells event opening China-South Asia Expo in Kunming
- India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal among South Asian countries taking part in four-day expo, according to the organisers
China and South Asia should build “a development community” for the long-term stability and prosperity of the region, Wang told the opening ceremony of the 7th China-South Asia Expo in the southwestern city of Kunming on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena of Sri Lanka, who is on an official visit to China, was chief guest at the event. The vice-presidents of Nepal and Laos, and the deputy prime minister of Vietnam also attended.
Wang, the foreign affairs chief of China’s ruling Communist Party and recently reappointed as foreign minister, also called on countries in the region to deepen strategic trust and increase mutual support on international and regional matters.
“[We should] join hands to advocate an open regionalism, build closer regional cooperation, jointly safeguard the interests of developing countries and jointly defend international justice,” he said.
“China welcomes South Asian countries to continue to ride on China’s development momentum and share the benefits of China’s growth,” he said.
He also called for deeper trade ties and the alignment of systems and standards to boost global supply chain links, as well as more people-to-people exchanges.
The China-South Asia Expo is part of Beijing’s efforts to promote stronger links with regional countries.
The four-day event this year is being co-hosted by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce and the Yunnan provincial government.
Participants include South Asian countries like India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and the Maldives, as well as Southeast Asian nations and members of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, according to the organisers.
The expo was launched in 2013, when President Xi Jinping initiated his signature belt and road strategy to extend China’s global reach through infrastructure and investment.
South Asia, with its strategically significant land and sea routes, has a key role in the ambitious connectivity plan stretching into the Middle East, Africa and Europe.
For instance, the CPEC is the “flagship” project of the initiative, with China pledging US$62 billion for ports, oil and gas pipelines, power plants, roads and railways in Pakistan, its key strategic partner in the region.
“Over the past 10 years, we have consolidated our unity and cooperation and jointly maintained a safe and secure environment for development in the region. We have continued to build the belt and road together and have made encouraging progress in connectivity, infrastructure, trade and investment,” Wang told guests at the expo.
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In Sri Lanka, China’s development plans have been accused of worsening the country’s debt crisis.
