Foreign leaders, UN chief laud China, BRI in meetings with Xi

BEIJING, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Four foreign leaders and United Nations (UN) Secretary-General attending the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation held bilateral meetings or talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday.

They lauded the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), China's development and its constructive role in international affairs, among others.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the BRI has achieved great success and has become an important international public good widely recognized by the world, expressing his confidence in greater achievements of this great cause.

Russia is willing to strengthen communication and collaboration with China within multilateral mechanisms such as BRICS, uphold the international system based on international law, and promote the establishment of a more just and reasonable global governance system, Putin said.

Nigerian Vice President Kashim Shettima said that China has consistently shown respect and equality toward Nigeria and other African countries, and has made every effort to support the people of Africa in seeking independence and development.

Nigeria is willing to continue deepening the Belt and Road cooperation with China and elevate bilateral ties to a new level, Shettima said.

Hailing China as a "true friend" of Argentina, Argentine President Alberto Fernandez said the Belt and Road cooperation has created important opportunities for developing countries and played an irreplaceable role in promoting world peace, fairness and sustainable development.

Argentina will work with China to support multilateralism and strengthen communication and coordination within the frameworks of the G20 and BRICS cooperation mechanism, Fernandez said.

Kenyan President William Ruto said that Kenya has benefited a lot from its cooperation with China since the BRI was put forward. The Mombasa-Nairobi Railway and other important projects have greatly enhanced Kenya's economic development capacity and improved people's well-being.

He expressed the belief that the eight major steps proposed by President Xi to support high-quality Belt and Road cooperation will further help Kenya and Africa achieve industrialization, agricultural modernization and economic integration.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that the BRI provides a very important and effective way to help developing countries achieve sustainable development. The eight major steps announced by President Xi to support high-quality Belt and Road cooperation are fully in line with the UN purposes and objectives and are conducive to helping developing countries accelerate their development.

The UN highly appreciates China's firm commitment to multilateralism and supports the three global initiatives put forward by President Xi, said Guterres.