China’s Belt and Road Initiative will play a major role in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, according to Wu Hongbo, United Nations Under-Secretary-General.

In a July 26 speech at the 2016 Media Cooperation Forum on Belt and Road in Beijing, Wu explained that the initiative shares a common vision and common fundamental principles with the agenda. "Belt and Road” is consistent with the goals and principles of the United Nations Charter. The core spirit of the initiative is to promote mutually beneficial cooperation, development and prosperity.

Wu cited investment in infrastructure, a key area for the Belt and Road Initiative, as evidence of the initiative's role in eradicating poverty--a goal shared by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Investment in infrastructure will improve productivity and living standards. It will also introduce a better lifestyle and improved education opportunities to the people along the Belt and Road route, he said.

President Xi Jinping said last month during his meeting with Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, that one purpose of the Belt and Road initiative is to facilitate the realization of the UN agenda.

About 50 percent of the population situated along the Belt and Road route is currently living below the poverty line.