Toast by President Xi at welcoming banquet in honor of guests attending BRF

Toast by H.E. Xi Jinping

President of the People’s Republic of China

At the Welcoming Banquet

In Honor of the Distinguished Guests Attending

The Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation

Beijing, 14 May 2017

Your Excellencies Heads of State, Government and International Organizations,

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Dear Friends,

Good evening! On behalf of the Chinese government and people, my wife and myself, let me begin by warmly welcoming you to the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation.

To many of you, Beijing is not unfamiliar and may bring back many fond memories. As an ancient capital, Beijing has witnessed great historical changes over the centuries. It is also a modern city that has taken on a new look as China makes progress. More importantly, Beijing is an international metropolis where Eastern and Western civilizations meet and interact.

Here in Beijing, you may tour the time-honored Forbidden City, the Great Wall and the Temple of Heaven, or visit the modernistic “Bird’s Nest”, “Water Cube” and the National Center for the Performing Arts. You may choose to enjoy a performance of traditional Peking Opera or the Chinese comic cross-talk, or you can treat yourself to a Western-style ballet or symphony. You are likely to bump into trendy-looking Chinese youngsters in boutiques of international brands, or come across foreigners speaking fluent Chinese in the hutong, traditional alleys in local neighborhoods. 

It is said you can see a world in a grain of sand and an ocean in a drop of water. Beijing’s evolution from a tiny town to an international metropolis is just one example of how mankind progresses as people of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds interact in a common home and embrace a common future.

More than 2,000 years ago, our ancestors, driven by a desire for friendship, opened the overland and maritime Silk Roads and thus started a great era of exchanges among civilizations.

Today, we gather here to renew the Silk Road spirit and discuss the Belt and Road development for international cooperation. This is both a continuation of our shared legacy and a right choice for the future.

The Belt and Road Initiative embodies our aspiration for inter-civilization exchanges. As a vehicle that facilitates communication between different civilizations, the Initiative will promote mutual learning and add splendor to human civilization.

The Belt and Road Initiative embodies our yearning for peace and stability. As a bond bringing countries closer to each other, the Initiative will encourage solidarity, mutual respect and mutual trust between countries and inspire our people to work together to build a harmonious and peaceful world.

The Belt and Road Initiative embodies our pursuit of common development. The Initiative aims to break development bottlenecks, narrow development gaps and promote the sharing of development fruits among countries. It envisions a community of common development where we work together through thick and thin for a shared future.

The Belt and Road Initiative embodies our shared dream for a better life. The Initiative weaves into a common vision the dreams of different countries and peoples. We will work to translate this vision into reality and deliver greater happiness and well-being to our people.

The High-level Dialogue of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation held today has been a great success. The discussions were lively and the outcomes productive. Tomorrow, we will meet by Yanqi Lake for the Leaders Roundtable to jointly plan the Belt and Road cooperation. We are at a fresh starting point, ready to embark on a new journey together.

It will be a journey full of hope. So long as we press ahead with a common vision without backpedaling or standing still, we will achieve greater connectivity and benefit from each other’s development. Our common endeavor, just like the ancient Silk Roads, will have far-reaching impact and bring benefits to many generations to come.

Now please join me in a toast:

To the bright future of the Belt and Road;

To the development and prosperity of all countries;

To the full success of this Forum; and

To the health of all guests and your families.

Cheers!