China to Host Third Belt and Road Forum in October

China will hold the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing in October, the foreign ministry said on Thursday. The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a global infrastructure development strategy China launched a decade ago to connect Asia with Africa and Europe via land and maritime routes.

Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said the 10th anniversary of the BRI is also “an important platform for all parties to discuss and develop high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.”

“With interconnectivity and intercommunication as the main line, the Belt and Road Initiative aims to provide a new platform for international economic cooperation and new impetus for various countries’ development and the world economic growth. Over the past 10 years, the Belt and Road has become a very popular global public good and international cooperation platform,” the Chinese spokesperson said.

The Chinese side is in communication with all parties on the preparations for the forum and will release relevant information in due course, he said.

“China will hold the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in October this year. It is not only the grandest event to mark the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative, but also an important platform for all parties to discuss high-quality Belt and Road cooperation,” said Wang.

Russian media had earlier reported that President Vladimir Putin plans to visit China, coinciding with the BRI forum. China hosted the first Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in May 2017.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – Reuters)