Xi Jinping defended the controversial project of the new Silk Road and promised "openness, green development and moral integrity"

The Chinese president, Xi Jinping, was positioned this Friday in favor of "transparent" and "viable" projects for the budgets of countries participating in its initiative of New Silk Road

S addressing an audience of 37 heads of state and government in Beijing, at the opening of the second summit on calls New Silk Roads, Xi promisedor "zero tolerance" with corruption as part of this vast infrastructure project across Asia, Europe and Africa, sometimes accused of opacity.

Critics accuse him of favoring Chinese enterprises first and "a debt trap" for the beneficiary countries of the loans granted by the Chinese banks.

"Everything must be done in a transparent way and we must have a zero tolerance for corruption"badured Xi Jinping.

According to the Chinese president, your country will also encourage "green" development. Some projects, including dams and coal-fired power plants, are Sometimes accused of harming the environment.

Among the leaders present this Friday in Beijing, the Russian president, Vladimir Poutine, and the Italian Prime Minister, Giuseppe Conte, whose country became the first member of the G7 last month to join the Chinese initiative.

The Egyptian president, Abdel Fatah al Sisi; the Greek Prime Minister, Alexis Tsipras; and the Swiss president, Ueli Maurer, also moved to the Chinese capital.

But most countries of Western Europe, cautious about the Chinese project, they only sent ministers. For its part, The United States did not send any representatives.

The new silk roads "are not a club" reserved for a fewsaid Xi Jinping.

Since the launch of its initiative in 2013, China has invested a total of 80,000 million euros in various projects and banks lent between 175,000 and 265,000 million dollars, according to Xiao Weiming, a senior Chinese official in charge of the program.

End unfair competition

Chinese President also pledged Friday to abolish subsidies "that distort competition", in response to a request from the United States, which accuses Beijing of abusively supporting its public companies.

Xi promised to increase Chinese imports, not to reduce the yuan exchange rate and prohibit technology transfers imposed on foreign companies.

Beijing's mbadive subsidies to its state-owned companies are one of the big blocks of contention between China and the United States, which has been plunged for almost a year into a trade war launched by President Donald Trump.

"We will examine and abolish regulations, subsidies and unjustified practices that alter competition and markets"he stated.

"We will treat all businesses on an equal footing to foster the emergence of a market-based and law-based trading environment"he promised when he asked "Say no to protectionism."

After a meeting between Trump and Xi at the end of last year, the two countries began a series of negotiations to avoid imposing a new wave of tariffs on their respective exports.