140 countries participate in China’s Belt and Road Initiative event

The Belt and Road Summit Forum was participated by representatives from 140 countries, celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative driven by Chinese President Xi Jinping. Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose arrest warrant was issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charges of war crimes committed in Ukraine, also attended and stressed cooperation between the two countries.

The Belt and Road Initiative, proposed by President Xi in August 2013, is a China-led global initiative aiming to construct a ‘land-based silk road’ connecting Central Asia and Europe with inland China and a ‘maritime silk road’ linking Southeast Asia, India, Africa, and Europe, with the goal to build a global economic belt. Backed by Chinese funding, developing countries started constructing social infrastructure, but some say these countries have been trapped in a massive debt trap.

Many representatives from pro-China countries, including Russia and Afghanistan, attended the two-day summit forum that ends on Wednesday. According to China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, approximately 4,000 people from 140 countries and 30 international organizations attended the event.

President Xi is expected to deliver a keynote speech on Wednesday, eval‎uating achievements over the last decade and announcing plans. A summit meeting with President Putin is also scheduled. The two leaders are meeting for the first time in seven months following their meeting in Moscow in March. They are expected to reveal their positions on pending issues, such as conflicts in the Middle East.


Ki-Yong Kim kky@donga.com