China’s Xi calls for the protection of Belt and Road Initiative interests overseas

Speaking at a working conference on the projects, Beijing’s sprawling effort to build out a global infrastructure and trade network that connects to China, Xi warned that the international environment has become “tough and complicated”.

“In recent years, the world has entered a new period of turbulence and change, with a significant rise in unilateralism and protectionism, and regional conflicts and upheavals have become frequent,” Xi told the meeting.

“Against such circumstances … it is necessary to appropriately respond to various risks and challenges, effectively overcome the impact of geopolitical conflicts, correctly address the relationship between enhancing the sense of gain of the partner countries and ensure the benefits to our country, and effectively safeguard the security of our overseas interests,” he said.

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Xi added that there are still more opportunities than challenges in promoting the initiative, despite the more challenging environment.

“We must strengthen our strategic confidence, maintain our strategic determination and have the courage to take on responsibilities,” he said, calling for an improvement in project risk control and a mechanism to protect the interests of host countries.