At a press briefing today, Chinese Foreign Minister and State Councilor Wang Yi presented the results of this year’s Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF). He remarked that 10,000 participants had registered for the forum and that 450 concrete outcomes had been reached during it, more than were achieved at the second BRF in July 2019. He said the forum had sent out a clear signal of unity and cooperation to the world, making it a milestone in the history of the BRI. The forum represents a “new stage of high-quality BRI,” he said. It has led to greater institutional connectivity. There was also a new message that BRI was aimed at enhancing global modernization and that all countries were to be included in this modernization. The conference also underlined the action-orientation of the BRI. “We walk the walk as well as talk the talk,” Wang Yi emphasized.
There was a constant theme of “multi-dimensional BRI connectivity,” with a combination of rail, air, and digital connectivity. He described how there would be an enhancement of connectivity in the Europe-Asia express, new road transportation grids created, a land-sea corridor developed, and a China-Europe Air Silk Road developed. During the BRI CEO meeting, agreements were signed worth $97.2 billion. In addition, it was decided to create a BRF Secretariat which would operate between the period of the official forums, perhaps a sign of the institution-building which was also a signal feature of this year’s forum.
