Belt and Road Summit in Hong Kong to see record participants

HONG KONG, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Belt and Road Summit to be held Wednesday in China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) will see record participants and delegations, demonstrating the international community's confidence in the city, HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee said.

The two-day summit will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and will be held in fully physical format, the first time after the pandemic, which is of great significance, Lee said on Tuesday.

He said the upcoming summit is expected to see over 6,000 participants and 100 delegations from various countries and regions, while as many as 20 cooperation memorandums will be signed. High-level government representatives from at least 10 countries will attend the event.

The summit will feature a Middle East forum for the first time to explore collaboration opportunities under the BRI. It will also feature a new finance chapter and youth chapter to improve BRI financial services and facilitate exchanges among young people.

The BRI, a reference to the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, was initiated by China in 2013 to build trade and infrastructure networks connecting Asia with Europe and Africa on and beyond ancient Silk Road trade routes.