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Belt and Road Initiative
ChinaDiplomacy

Belt and road forum ‘a showcase’ for China’s growing global influence

  • Leaders from 130 countries are arriving in Beijing for the summit as the infrastructure plan marks its 10th anniversary
  • Analysts said the event will be important for Xi Jinping’s prestige, with the Belt and Road Initiative seen as the Chinese leader’s pet project

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World leaders were arriving in Beijing on Monday ahead of China’s third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. Photo: EPA
Dewey Sim
As world leaders descend on China on Monday for the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, Beijing will be eager to showcase its growing influence and position itself as a leader of developing nations, analysts said.
The forum – which marks the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative – will be particularly important for President Xi Jinping’s standing in the world, they also suggested.

Representatives from some 130 countries and 30 global organisations are expected to attend the two-day summit in Beijing, according to the Chinese foreign ministry. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin is also expected to attend, in a rare overseas trip.

A chief executives’ summit will be held on Tuesday, before Wednesday’s official opening and a further series of high-level forums and discussions. Some 800 chief executives attended the CEOs’ gathering at the third belt and road forum in 2019.

Wang Fei-Ling, international affairs professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology, said the forum was “important” to Xi’s prestige, as the belt and road plan had been his “personal pet project and a major symbol of his leadership and vision”.

“I think Beijing hopes to continue the momentum of the [initiative] through the photo-ops and statements, so as to refresh the image of solidarity among participants,” Wang said.

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