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Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday called dozens of world leaders to reject protectionism and invited more countries to participate in its global infrastructure project after seeking to address the concerns surrounding the program.
Addressing 37 leaders from Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America, Xi introduced a new speech for his beloved Belt and Road Initiative (IRB) then that he was giving the kick off the last day of a three day forum.
The world's second-largest economy has been fighting a trade war with the United States for months, and Xi has long sought to endorse the power of the new world power, open to multilateral cooperation and globalization.
"We must build an open global economy and reject protectionism," Xi told the leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and Pakistani Imran Khan sitting around a large round table during the idyllic retreat of Lake Yanqi, on the outskirts of Beijing.
Similarly, a draft press release for the forum seen by AFP committed to "reject protectionism" and "unilateralism" in the blink of an eye to the presidency " America first "of President Donald Trump. US officials have not been sent to the summit.
Xi's foreign policy aims to reinvent the ancient Silk Road to connect Asia to Europe and Africa through mbadive investments in maritime projects road and rail, with hundreds of billions of dollars in funding from Chinese banks.
Chart on the mbadive investment project in China's infrastructure, including road, rail and sea routes around the world. By Laurence CHU (AFP)
"We must encourage the full participation of more countries and companies, thus widening the cake of common interests," Xi said.
Critics say that BRI is a plan to strengthen Beijing's global influence, tainted by opaque agreements favoring Chinese companies and countries grappling with debt problems and protecting the country's finances. 39; environment.
The United States, India and some European countries have looked at the project with suspicion.
Increasing resistance
Until now, Chinese companies and workers have become the main beneficiaries because they are used to build the infrastructure financed by China in other developing countries.
BIS projects have experienced difficulties in some countries. In Malaysia, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad canceled some planned works and renegotiated a railway project reducing the price by 30%.
But Mohamad and other leaders attending the summit praised BRI.
The draft communiqué states that BRI will welcome developed countries and international investors to participate in projects.
At the opening ceremony on Friday, Xi expressed concern at the opening ceremony, saying the BIS would adopt a "zero tolerance" against corruption while committing to ensuring viability projects and to further open the Chinese economy.
"Faced with this growing resistance for a year and a half and this image of debt, China is trying to reposition itself (BRI) and send a rebaduring message," said Nadege Rolland, researcher at the National Office of Asian research, a think-tank based in the United States.
But "let's see how this is put into practice," she said.
The Chinese Ministry of Finance on Thursday issued guidelines to badess the financial risk and debt sustainability of projects in BRI countries.
But the paper notes that countries already facing payment problems or restructuring their payments "does not automatically mean that the debt is unsustainable in the future sense of the term".
At a state banquet Friday night, Xi called on world leaders to meet despite setbacks.
"Certainly, when building the Belts and Roads Initiative, we will face difficulties and there will be twists," he said.
"Whatever method we choose, we must continue the spirit of partnership, remember our initial intention of cooperation and make steady progress," he said.
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