Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message on Tuesday to the 2016 Media Cooperation Forum on the Belt and Road, calling on media to play a positive role in pushing forward the progress of the initiative.

President Xi said that the Silk Road is a common treasure for people from all over the world. In order to promote the spirit of the Silk Road, China has put forward the Belt and Road Initiative, which will be jointly carried out through extensive consultation so that it honors the interests of all, and promotes policy coordination, facilities connectivity, unimpeded trade, financial integration and person-to-person bonds between countries along the Belt and Road route.

China is willing to join hands with these countries to build the mutually beneficial and cooperative network of Belt and Road, jointly found a new model of cooperation, explore the platform of multilateral cooperation, and push forward programs in key fields to build a green, healthy, intelligent and peaceful Silk Road, Xi said, noting that this will benefit all the people and countries along the road.

"Media plays an essential role in communicating information, enhancing mutual trust and building consensus. This forum provides a platform for media from many countries to engage in dialogue and practice cooperation." The Chinese president added, "We hope to utilize this platform to promote the development of international relations, deliver public opinion and deepen mutual trust, as well as to push forward the progress of the Belt and Road Initiative."

The Media Cooperation Forum on the Belt and Road, which is hosted by People’s Daily, has been held each year since 2014. It is the media forum with the greatest number of participants from various countries and foreign media organizations held by a Chinese media group in recent years.

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