Belt and Road Initiative: a symphony by all relevant parties

Liu Jieyi (L), Chinese Permanent Representative to the United Nations, addresses the opening of a photo exhibition on China's Belt and Road Initiative at the UN headquarters in New York on May 8, 2017. [Photo: China Plus/Qian Shanming]

China's Ambassador to the UN has said that the Belt and Road Initiative is not China's alone, but a coordinated effort among all of the countries involved. Liu Jieyi made the remarks at the opening ceremony of a photo exhibition on China's Belt and Road Initiative at the UN headquarters in New York. Our reporter Qian Shanming has details from UN headquarters.

The exhibition, called "Strengthening International Cooperation for Win-Win Development," kicked off at the UN headquarters on Monday, showcasing the thinking behind the initiative, the outcomes achieved so far, and its future prospects.

Ambassador Liu Jieyi said the Belt and Road initiative requires cooperation from everybody involved in it.

"The Belt and Road Initiative is an international public good that benefits all parties. The Initiative widens and deepens partnerships in multi-dimensional and multi-layered networking. The Initiative does not replace existing regional platforms, but seeks to achieve synergy among various strategies and take common development further through closer international cooperation. To use a musical metaphor, it is not China's solo, but a symphony performed by all of the countries."

Since its inception, the Initiative has received widespread recognition and active participation from across the world. More than 100 countries and international organizations have come on board, and over 40 of them have concluded cooperation agreements with China.

In his speech, Liu Jieyi stressed that the initiative strongly reinforces the undertakings of the United Nations.

"The Belt and Road Initiative strongly reinforces the undertakings of the United Nations. It embodies international cooperation, one of the purposes and principles enshrined in the UN Charter. The Belt and Road Initiative works hand in hand with the 2030 Agenda. It is our strong belief that the Belt and Road Initiative will contribute greatly to and generate extensive support for the implementation of SDGs and other work of the UN."

The UN General Assembly and Security Council have adopted resolutions supporting the implementation of the Initiative. UN agencies such as the ESCAP and UNDP have also signed cooperation documents with China on the Initiative.

Amina Mohammed (L), United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, addresses the opening of a photo exhibition on China's Belt and Road Initiative at the UN headquarters in New York on May 8, 2017. [Photo: China Plus/Qian Shanming]

UN Deputy Secretary-general Amina Mohammed said the Belt and Road Initiative is a demonstration of a global partnership that really fits the ambition of the UN agenda for sustainable development.

"I'm really honored to be at this exciting Initiative. The Belt and Road Initiative has been one that we've spoken about over the last few weeks. And everybody is extremely excited because it is a demonstration of the global partnership that really fits the ambition of the 2030 Agenda. It also provide an opportunity for people to see how we can truly unlock those trillions for investments that make sense, because they bring people together, they empower young people, but more specially give jobs to all. "

Amina also hailed China's contribution to integrate the UN SDGs into its own development planning, in a bid to strengthen international cooperation and achieve win-win development with other countries and regions.

"It does show us that with China's 13th Five-Year Plan, right at the very beginning, they had the 2030 Agenda at the core. This is a demonstration of what can happen when you want to lay down infrastructure that will help to grow economies not just in China but (with) genuine collaboration across borders, across borders for triangular cooperation; it is not just South-South but North-South-South as well."

People visit a photo exhibition on China's Belt and Road Initiative at the UN headquarters in New York on May 8, 2017. [Photo: China Plus/Qian Shanming]

The photo exhibition, scheduled to run until May 12th, is divided into five categories in accordance with the Initiative's five focuses on the connectivity of policy, infrastructure, trade, finance, and people-to-people ties.

The opening ceremony of the photo exhibition attracted around 300 officials and guests from UN headquarters, permanent delegations to the UN, and international media outlets based in New York.

For CRI, this is Qian Shanming from the UN headquarters in New York.