On October 17, the Belt and Road CEO Conference was held in Beijing. It was a kick-off event of the Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF) under the theme of “High-quality Belt and Road Cooperation: Together for Common Development and Prosperity.”
Gao Yunlong, Chairman of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce (ACFIC), John Lee Ka-chiu, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), and Zhang Yuzhuo, Chairman of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC), delivered speeches. Ren Hongbin, Chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), presided over the Conference and issued the Beijing Declaration of the Belt and Road CEO Conference on behalf of the participating business communities. Eight representatives from Chinese and foreign business communities, including the principal responsible persons of Standard Chartered, ACWA Power, Macao Chamber of Commerce, Harilela Group, China Merchants Group, Bank of China, Energy China, and TBEA Group, addressed the Conference.
Gao Yunlong, Chairman of the ACFIC, stated that entrepreneurs are vital pathfinders and organizers of entrepreneurship and innovation, and significant practitioners and promoters of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). He expressed his hopes that: entrepreneurs will proactively dedicate themselves to the high-quality Belt and Road cooperation on economy and trade, continue to leverage the strengths of international production capacity cooperation, constantly expand new areas of cooperation and forge new drivers of growth in economy, and strive to make the“pie”of win-win results bigger, injecting new momentum into global opening-up and development; entrepreneurs will deepen high-quality Belt and Road cooperation on innovation, seize the historical opportunities in a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, foster a closer innovation cooperation partnership, work together to deepen the innovation in science and technology, models and business forms, and enhance digital empowerment and green development, so as to accelerate high-quality development; entrepreneurs will actively participate in the high-quality Belt and Road cooperation on people’s livelihood, integrate their efforts to pursue business success with those to shoulder social responsibilities, drive enterprises to improve corporate governance, and deliver benefit to all with a great sense of responsibility.
John Lee Ka-chiu, Chief Executive of the HKSAR, remarked that under the One Country, Two Systems policy, Hong Kong has distinctive advantages featuring close connection with the world market and strong support from the motherland. As Asia’s world city, Hong Kong serves as an important node in the advancement of the BRI, and makes every effort to provide high-quality professional support for countries and economies along the route, including project financing, risk management, international legal and dispute resolution, construction engineering, shipping logistics, and innovative technology. These efforts aim to ensure that enterprises receive favorable support and achieve great success in BRI projects. The Government of the HKSAR will continue to proactively integrate into China’s overall development, uphold the Silk Road spirit of win-win cooperation, develop together with countries and enterprises involved in the Belt and Road cooperation, and share the achievements.
Zhang Yuzhuo, Chairman of the SASAC, emphasized that over the past decade, through active response, sustained input, and extensive layout, state-owned enterprises have invested in more than 5,000 cooperation projects in 140 countries with an accumulated investment amount of over USD 1,000 billion. They have successfully built a number of major and landmark projects, making positive contributions to the historic achievements in the Belt and Road cooperation. The SASAC and state-owned enterprises will persist in deepening levels and expanding fields, and make a big push to synergize plans, improve facilities, and facilitate trade connectivity, injecting new vitality into the high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.They will stay committed to demands and leverage strengths, build many signature projects with broad coverage and strong driving effects, as well as a range of “small yet smart” projects that bring tangible benefits to people which feature short construction cycles and satisfactory comprehensive benefits, creating a new benchmark for the high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. They will adhere to innovation-driven development and coordinated industrial development, and step up cooperation in cutting-edge fields such as intelligent manufacturing and digital economy, cultivating new growth drivers for the high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.
Ren Hongbin, Chairman of the CCPIT, said that businesses from across the world are the main force, practitioner, and contributor of the Belt and Road cooperation. Upholding the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, they have pursued open, green, clean, and high-standard cooperation to promote sustainable development and improve people’s lives, and carried out mutually beneficial cooperation in a pragmatic manner, yielding concrete results that contribute to global economic growth and people’s wellbeing.Looking ahead, the Belt and Road cooperation will generate new opportunities for both China and the rest of the world. On behalf of the participating business communities, Ren Hongbin released the Beijing Declaration of the Belt and Road CEO Conference, which includes five proposals, i.e., adhering to openness and cooperation, deepening connectivity cooperation, adhering to green development, promoting cooperation on digital economy, adhering to lawful operation and fulfilling social responsibility.
A large number of pragmatic cooperation projects between China and foreign countries were signed during the Conference, which cover 68 countries and regions, and involve such fields as infrastructure, clean energy, artificial intelligence, biomedicine, financial services, modern agriculture, and rail transit. The number of projects signed, the number of countries involved and the contract amount have all significantly exceeded those of the last session of the Belt and Road CEO Conference.This fully demonstrates the fruitful results brought by the positive participation of Chinese and foreign industrial and commercial communities in the international cooperation under the BRI and reflects their vision and firm confidence in contributing to the high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.
Co-hosted by the CCPIT, the SASAC, and the ACFIC, the Belt and Road CEO Conference brought together more than 1,200 representatives from Chinese and foreign industrial and commercial communities, including 367 enterprises or institutions and relevant international organizations and economic institutions from 82 countries and regions.
