LEGEND OF 21ST CENTURY

Since the 2008 financial crisis, the world has focused on pushing the sluggish economy into a new growth cycle, but multilateralism and the free trade system have encountered setbacks.

Since its inception, the BRI has received unprecedented strong endorsement and support. The vision has been included in documents of major international institutions, such as the UN and the G20, and covered by think tank studies of different countries and financial reports from multinational corporations.

Over the past six years, Xi has frequently promoted the BRI on various international platforms. He also visited the sites of BRI projects during his overseas visits.

So far, more than 150 countries and international organizations have signed BRI cooperation documents with China. From 2013 to 2018, the trade volume between China and other B&R countries surpassed 6 trillion U.S. dollars, and China's investment in B&R countries exceeds 90 billion dollars.

Thanks to the BRI, eastern Africa has its own expressway, the Maldives has its first inter-island bridge, Belarus can produce sedans and the number of freight trains between China and Europe is on the rise. The once rusted Greek port of Piraeus has become one of the world's fastest-growing container terminals.

Mahathir said the BRI is a great initiative with huge potential, which will not only help deal with the infrastructure and transport bottlenecks that are impeding the development of different countries, but also address the problem of unbalanced development among countries and promote cultural dialogue and exchanges.

PEOPLE-CENTERED

The vision of making development people-centered has run through the process of building the B&R.

Xi in his keynote speech called for focusing on eradicating poverty, increasing employment and improving people's livelihoods, so that the BRI would better benefit all people and make a tangible contribution to local economic and social development while ensuring commercial and financial sustainability.

The practice has proven that the BRI is in line with the "strong desire of the people of all countries for a better life." China helped Uzbekistan build a tunnel in 900 days, creating a less difficult way for people in the remote Andijan region to get to the capital. In Pakistan, the once remote and quiet port of Gwadar is booming with urban construction, creating jobs that bring new hope for life. Streetlights now illuminate Myanmar's once dark streets in Kyau Pyo.

China has strengthened cooperation with the UN in the areas of green development, child care, climate change, agriculture, health, disaster reduction and water resources and has worked hard to narrow the development gap.

According to the latest report of the BRF Advisory Council, the BRI and the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development have many things in common with the potential to derive mutual synergy.

"We see the BRI as the most relevant project today in the world, in the context of South-South cooperation, which would contribute to fairer globalization, and fairer globalization is the best way to have a future of shared prosperity among the different nations of the world," UN chief Guterres said.