In 2013, President Xi Jinping put forward the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). After a decade of
development, the BRI has effectively promoted economic integration and interconnected development,
and delivered benefits to all. It has laid down a pathway toward mutual benefit, win-win outcomes,
prosperity and development in an age rife with turbulence and change.

The BRI shines the light of development and provides new impetus for global development.
Development holds the master key to solving all problems and is a timeless theme for humanity. The
BRI, focusing on development which best serves the common interests of all countries, has provided a
platform for development with great inclusiveness, and promoted the common development and
prosperity of all countries around the world. From 2013 to 2022, the total value of China’s trade in
goods with key Belt and Road partner countries grew at an average annual rate of 8.6 percent, and the
two-way investment exceeded USD270 billion. Newly signed contracts of projects are worth over USD1.2 trillion, and an array of infrastructure projects including roads, bridges and ports have come into
commission, further promoting land, maritime, air and cyberspace connectivity.

Fruits of development

The Belt and Road cooperation is not a solo performance, but a symphony played by all. The BRI has
effectively synergized development strategies and practical demands among partners, and has helped
partner countries transform their own advantages into tangible fruits of development. Over the past
decade, overseas cooperative industrial parks including Thailand-China Rayong Industrial Zone and
Ethiopia’s Eastern Industry Zone have flourished, serving as a catalyst for local industrialization and
modernization. The World Bank estimates that by 2030, Belt and Road cooperation will bring an annual
benefit of USD 1.6 trillion to the world, accounting for 1.3 percent of the global GDP and injecting strong
impetus into global development.

The BRI shines the light of happiness and makes new contributions to people’s well-being. The people
are the foundation of a state. When the foundation is strong, the state will be secure. Improving
people’s livelihood has become another distinctive feature of the BRI. Over the past ten years, the BRI
has helped lift nearly 40 million people out of poverty and created paths toward opportunity and
prosperity for the local people. A large number of “small yet smart” livelihood programs such as schools,
hospitals and stadiums have been put in place one after another, and more and more people are living a
better life with a greater sense of happiness and benefit. The China-Europe Railway Express completed
over 15,000 freight services, serving as a health train delivering medical supplies during the pandemic. In
January this year, the China-aided African Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
headquarters, the first CDC in Africa featuring modern office facilities and high-end laboratories, was
successfully handed over. Facing the global food crisis, China and its BRI partners have been actively engaged in agricultural cooperation and popularized hybrid rice, Juncao and other practical
technologies, making positive contributions to ensuring food supply for the local people.

The BRI shines the light of hope and opens up new prospects for common prosperity. The U.N. 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development is now encountering difficulties in its implementation, and the
development gap keeps widening. Countries around the world have a stronger aspiration
fordevelopment and cooperation. Many developing countries have seized the momentum of the BRI
and got on board the express train of China’s development. As we accelerate the development of the
health Silk Road, the digital Silk Road, the green Silk Road and the Silk Road of innovation, more
opportunities for cooperation will be created. This will open up broader prospects for industrial
upgrading, energy transformation and innovative development in those countries.

Vocational workshops

Talents are the most important asset that secures a bright future. Under the framework of Belt and
Road cooperation, China has vigorously carried out relevant talent exchange activities and research
cooperation. With the help of Luban Workshops, China has put in place vocational workshops in more
than 20 countries to provide vocational and technical training for local young people, boosting the
internal growth drivers of relevant countries.

The third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation was held in Beijing yesterday. It was the
grandest event to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the BRI, and an important platform for all
parties to discuss high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. We hope that all parties, standing on the new
starting point, will make the pie of development increasingly bigger, so as to provide solid support for
people’s well-being and create more opportunities for economic growth. In doing so, we will usher
in another wonderful decade on this road of global prosperity.