Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin Photo: VCG

The third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF) will be held in Beijing in October, China's Foreign Ministry (FM) announced during a regular press conference on Thursday, with 2023 marking the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).  

FM spokesperson Wang Wenbin said that the BRI seeks to provide a new platform for international economic cooperation, as well as generate new momentum to support global economy growth. The 2023 forum will be a very important event marking the 10th anniversary of the BRI global cooperation platform, he said. 

Over the past decade, China has signed documents for the co-building the BRI with over 150 countries and 30 international organizations. A total of more than 3,000 cooperation projects under the initiative has delivered nearly $1 trillion of investment and generated strong growth across partner countries, Wang said. 

"Covering multiple civilian sectors of poverty reduction, agricultural technology and vocational education, multiple BRI projects have significantly improved living standards," said Wang, adding that if all transport-related projects under the BRI enter operation, it will increase global income by 0.7-2.9 percent by 2030, and lift 7.6 million people out of extreme poverty. 

With regard to environmental protection, China has signed about 50 documents with relevant parties under the BRI platform during the past 10 years, and jointly launched the BRI Partnership on Green Development with 31 countries, Wang noted. 

Wang emphasized that China will try to ensure continuous high-quality development of the BRI along with the global partners. 

Global Times