By
Kris Crismundo
April
26, 2019
BEIJING -- Nearly 40 heads of states, including President
Rodrigo Duterte, met for the opening ceremony of the second Belt and Road
Forum for International Cooperation in this city Friday.
The attendance of world leaders, as
well as heads of international organizations in China’s major diplomatic event,
affirmed their support for the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) launched by
Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013.
To date, more than 150 countries
have signed with the BRI cooperation, Xi said in his keynote speech.
He noted that the BRI’s focus now
is the execution of these high-quality projects in BRI countries.
“Going ahead we should focus on
priorities and project execution, move forward results-oriented implementation,
and jointly promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation,” the Chinese
president said.
BRI should also promote green and
sustainable cooperation, while making the flow of capitals in BRI countries
easier.
“The Belt and Road cooperation has
opened up new space for global economic growth, produced new platforms for
international trade and investment, and offered new ways to improving global
economic governance,” Xi said.
Xi received Thursday his
counterparts from BRI partner countries, including Duterte, at the Great Hall
of the People.
The Philippine and Chinese
presidents also had bilateral meetings, affirming the good relations between
the two countries.
Duterte and Xi witnessed the
signing of two government-to-government agreements -- the Handover Certificate
Grant-Aid for the Dangerous Abuse Treatment and Rehabilitation Centers Project
and the Exchange of the Letters on Production Capacity and Investment
Cooperation.
“The decision to elevate bilateral
ties to a comprehensive, strategic cooperation affirms the Philippines and
China’s strong desire to further deepen and broaden this engagement,” Duterte
said.
"I would like to stand
together with Mr. President, and continue to bring forward the bilateral
relations along the right direction from a strategic and long-term
perspective," Xi, on the other hand, said.
Moreover, Duterte noted that the
cooperation and partnership under the China-led BRI will bring “high-quality”
and “good-impact” projects to the Philippines.
The BRI’s focus is connectivity
through infrastructure, complementing the “Build Build Build” program of the
Philippine government.
Earlier, Philippine Ambassador to
China Jose Santiago Sta. Romana said Duterte’s attendance to the forum targets
to seek synergy and convergence with developments in the region, particularly
infrastructure connectivity.
The BRI aims to bolster trade,
investment, and infrastructure connectivity in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the
Middle East, following the ancient trade route called Silk Road. (PNA)
