Silk Road int'l expo kicks off in China's Xi'an

Photo taken on May 11, 2021 shows the opening ceremony of the Fifth Silk Road International Exposition and the Investment and Trade Forum for Cooperation between East and West China in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province. The Fifth Silk Road International Exposition opened Tuesday in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, with deeper Belt and Road economic cooperation one of the hot topics on agenda. Themed "Interconnection, Contribution and Shared Benefits," the expo has attracted more than 1,900 envoys and guests from 98 countries and regions such as Belgium, the Republic of Korea, Tajikistan and Zambia. (Xinhua/Zhang Bowen)

XI'AN, May 11 (Xinhua) -- The Fifth Silk Road International Exposition opened Tuesday in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, with deeper Belt and Road economic cooperation one of the hot topics on agenda.

Themed "Interconnection, Contribution and Shared Benefits," the expo has attracted more than 1,900 envoys and guests from 98 countries and regions such as Slovakia, Belgium, the Republic of Korea, Tajikistan and Zambia.

Vice Minister of Commerce Wang Shouwen said the total trade volume between China and the Belt and Road countries amounted to 9.2 trillion U.S. dollars from 2013 to 2020, and combined investment by Chinese enterprises in these countries had reached 136 billion U.S. dollars.

"Faced with the unprecedented challenges of COVID-19, trade between China and countries along the Belt and Road showed resilience and vitality, totaling 1.36 trillion U.S. dollars in 2020, up 1 percent year on year," Wang said.

The Belt and Road Initiative, proposed by China in 2013, aims to build trade and infrastructure networks connecting Asia with Europe and beyond along the ancient Silk Road trade routes for common development and prosperity.