Belt and Road Initiative Opens to All Nations: Xi

Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed the openness and inclusiveness of China’s “One Belt, One Road” initiative when attending the China-UK Business Summit on October 21 in London.

Xi emphasized that China and the UK complement each other’s industrial framework and share the same goals of open market, free trade and bilateral investment. The future is promising for bilateral cooperation under the “One Belt and One Road” framework.

China welcomes the capital, technology and talent the joint exchanges with the UK. Meanwhile, China seeks to cooperate with the UK to help countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America develop together.

China has always stressed the openness of the “One Belt, One Road” initiative since Xi had proposed it two years ago. During his visit to the US in September, Xi for the first time invited the US to be involved in the initiative, but received no direct response.

The UK will set precedent for other countries not included along the route, as the country’s involvement will not only strengthen bilateral relations, but also help boost development of third-party markets.

Wang Yiwei, a scholar in international relations at Renmin University of China, pointed out that many countries along the “One Belt, One Road” used to be British colonies that share similar financial and judicial systems with the UK.

China-UK cooperation will benefit communications with third parties, giving all sides an opportunity to generate mutually beneficial gains. This embodies the spirit of the Silk Road -- openness, cooperation, inclusiveness and a win-win strategy, as well as ushers in a new model of economic globalization.