President says gathering sets stage for more Belt and Road progress， cooperation

More than $64 billion in deals were signedduring the second Belt and Road Forumfor International Cooperation， President Xi Jinpingtold members of the media from home and abroadin Beijing after the three-day event concluded onSaturday.

In addition， Xi said， during the preparation andholding of the forum， parties reached 283 pragrnaticoutcomes， including intergovernmental cooperationagreements， cooperative projects and the launch ofmultilateral cooperation platforms.

The outcomes fully demonstrate that jointbuilding of the Belt and Road conforms to the trend ofthe times， winning the hearts of the people，improvinglivelihoods and benefiting the whole world， he said.

The BRI originated in China but its opportunitiesand outcomes belong to the world， Xi said， adding thatthe second forum sends a clear message to the world：The BRI will have a brighter future as the circle of itssupporters expands， as good partners increase and asthe quality of cooperation improves.

Around 5，000 people from some 150 countriesand about 90 intemational organizations attended theforum.

Participants hailed the BRI as a great initiativefor econonuc cooperation， saying it is conducive topromoting connectivity and enhancing internationalcooperation in fields such as trade， investment andsustainable development.

Calling Belt and Road construction a path tocommon prosperity Xi said that early results fromthe BRI open up more space for global economicgrowth， build a platform for international cooperationand make new contributions to the building of acommunity with a shared future for mankind.

The forum helped countries upgrade theirconcepts of cooperation， defined key areas and strengthened the mechanism to seekhigh-quality development of the BRI， he said.

Leaders reached wide-ranging agreement on high-quality cooperation on theBRI at the leaders' roundtable on April 27 after an in-depth exchange of views onissues such as connectivity， policy integration and sustainable development.

They supported comprehensive infrastructure connectivity as a way to fostereconomic growth and to build high-quality， reliable， resilient and sustainableinfrastructure， according to a joint communique issued after the roundtable.

All parties involved supported strengthening synergies in development policiesusing the principle of extensive consultations，joint contributions for shared benefitsand building even closer partnerships， the joint communique said.

The leaders also upheld green and sustainable growth and agreed to enhancecooperation in areas such as environmental protection， circular economy and cleanenergy according to the communique.

They maintained that Belt and Road construction will make positivecontributions in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development ofthe United Nations.

The leaders also pledged to pursue trade and investment liberalization andfacilitation， reject protectionism and unilateralism and uphold the rule-basedmultilateral system with the World Trade Organization at the center， according tothe communique.

Xi told reporters that the consensus reached by the leaders has set the rightcourse for the development ofthe BRI.

Our shared goal is that we work together to make the interconnectivity amongvarious countries more efficient， foster more robust economic growth， develop evencloser international cooperation and enable people to live a better life， he said.

Xi also said BRI cooperation projects will be market-based. To ensuresustainable development， the leaders agreed to promote a level playing field forbusiness communities and create a nondiscriminatory business environment， he said.

Those involved in the BRI will strengthen synergy in development plans andinitiatives of various countries and intenational organizations and intensify bilateraland the third-party market cooperation to help more countries raise their level ofconnectivity， Xi said.

He added that participants agreed that Belt and Road forums are an importantplatform for multilateral cooperation and should be held on a regular basis.