Symposium in Brussels marks 10 years of China's BRI

BRUSSELS, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- A symposium was held here on Tuesday to mark the 10th anniversary of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Wu Gang, minister-counsellor at the Chinese Embassy in Belgium, described the BRI as "the most popular international public good and largest international cooperation platform in today's world."

"China looks forward to working with other parties to embark on a new journey of the Belt and Road cooperation," he said.

Such cooperation has stayed committed to its founding mission, expanded rapidly and made historic achievements over the past decade, he told an audience of Belgian and Chinese participants to the event, organized by China Book Trading GmbH (CBT), the Belgian-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and EU Reporter.

By June 2023, China had signed more than 200 cooperation agreements under the BRI framework with over 150 countries and 30 international organizations, giving rise to several flagship projects and a number of smaller but equally significant projects.

Nick Powell, political editor at EU Reporter, said the BRI has been well received in many countries.

"I've heard more than once that many countries see the Belt and Road Initiative and Europe's more recent offer -- the Global Gateway initiative -- as complementary," he said.

"And so they should. If we are serious about resolving the many bottlenecks on the central corridor trade route between China and Europe, it would be odd if both sides were not both investing to make this happen," Powell added.

"If we look at it from a broader perspective, I would say that the Belt and Road Initiative is a continuation of China's policy of opening up that began in 1978," said Professor Bart Dessein from Ghent University.

"China is ready to work with friends from different sectors to deepen mutual understanding and friendly exchanges between China and Belgium, between the two peoples, and to contribute further to the development of the comprehensive and friendly Sino-Belgian partnership," Wu said.

The event brought together more than 50 Belgian participants from the academic circle and the private sector.

Copies of the fourth volume of "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China" were presented to Belgian readers at the symposium.