“‘One Belt, One Road’ is claimed to be, up the now, the world’s largest global economic recovery plan, and marks China’s contribution to the global governance and peace,” said Yang Zhenwu, President of the People's Daily, while addressing the opening ceremony of the Media Cooperation Forum on "One Belt, One Road" in Beijing on Tuesday.

“The initiative aims to promote the efficient allocation of resources and deep integration of markets, and to encourage the countries along the Belt and Road to achieve economic policy coordination.” Yang added. 

According to Yang, China has signed agreements with more than 30 countries to further this initiative.

More than 70 countries and organizations expressed their support and willingness to join, essentially forming an international cooperation frame with extensive influences, Yang added.

In 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping put forward the initiative of jointly building the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road, when visiting the Central and Southeast Asian countries.

“One Belt” refers to a link stretching from China to Europe through Central Asia, while “One Road” refers to a link from China to its port facilities on Africa’s coastline and through the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean Sea.

Collaborative construction of an infrastructure network connecting all sub-regions in Asia and between Asia, Europe and Africa is one of the main focuses of the economic initiative.

Inspired by the vision, the People’s Daily has been consecutively hosting the annual Media Cooperation Forum on "One Belt, One Road" since 2014.

The forum aims at deepening the media cooperation among the “Belt and Road” countries.

Expected outcomes of this year’s forum include the launch of a multi-language platform that facilitates global media collaboration and coverage about the ‘Belt and Road’ initiative, founding a new media alliance, and seting up a secretariat for the Media Cooperation Forum on Belt and Road, Yang said.