Beijing: China is prepared to collaborate with various parties to achieve significant progress in enhancing the quality of Belt and Road cooperation for shared growth and mutual benefits, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun announced on Tuesday.
According to Namibia Press Agency, Guo made these comments during a daily press briefing in response to inquiries about a recent report on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The report highlights that the project value under the BRI in the first half of this year surpassed the total expected for the entire year of 2024, reaching unprecedented levels. Some media outlets and scholars suggest that China's increased engagement with BRI countries stands in stark contrast to the United States' approach, which involves imposing tariffs on trading partners worldwide. Countries involved in the BRI see this as an opportunity to strengthen ties with China.
Guo stated that Belt and Road cooperation has transitioned into a new phase focused on high-quality development. From Eurasia to Africa and Latin America, and spanning physical, institutional, and people-to-people connectivity, the cooperation has benefited populations across more than 150 countries.
Highlighting key projects, Guo mentioned that the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway has served over 10 million passengers, and the China-Europe Railway Express has facilitated over 110,000 freight train services. Additionally, the inaugural two-way voyage between Chancay and Shanghai via the new land-sea corridor between China and Latin America has been completed. In Africa, the installed capacity of photovoltaic power plants co-developed with China has reached over 1.5 gigawatts. Projects like the Luban Workshops and juncao technology have also contributed to economic prosperity.
Guo emphasized that after more than a decade of development, Belt and Road cooperation has evolved into a platform for trade and industrial collaboration, helping more countries integrate into the international industrial chain and ensuring the stability and resilience of the global supply chain.
In advancing Belt and Road cooperation, China adheres to the principles of "planning together, building together, and benefiting together," along with a philosophy of open, green, and clean cooperation. The goal remains to pursue high-standard, people-centered, and sustainable cooperation while promoting modernization across all participating countries, he concluded.