Belt and Road forum agenda set

BEIJING -- China hopes that the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation scheduled for mid-May will yield major outcomes, said Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday.

The forum will be held from May 14 to 15 in Beijing. President Xi Jinping will attend the opening ceremony and host a round-table leaders' summit, Wang told a press conference.

At least 28 heads of state and government will attend the forum, said Wang, the highest-profile international meeting on the Belt and Road since Xi put forward the initiative in 2013.

The opening ceremony is scheduled for the morning of May 14, followed by a series of high level meetings.

The round-table summit, chaired by Xi, will convene on May 15, with the participation of all attending heads of state and government, as well as UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres, World Bank president Jim Yong Kim, and managing director of the International Monetary Fund Christine Lagarde.

The round table will issue a document defining goals and principles and refining cooperative measures.

During the forum, China is expected to sign cooperative documents with nearly 20 countries and more than 20 international organization, said Wang.

China will work with countries along the routes on nearly 20 action plans, concerning infrastructure, energy and resources, production capacity, trade and investment, which will help to turn the grand blueprint into a clear roadmap, he said.

Another task of the forum will be to push forward delivery of cooperative projects, said the foreign minister. During the forum, all parties will identify major cooperative projects, set up working groups and establish an investment cooperation center.

Finally, China will work with all parties on a set of measures, including an improved financial cooperation mechanism; a cooperation platform for science, technology and environmental protection; and enhanced exchanges and training of talent.

Participants will sign financing agreements to support their cooperative projects, he said.

China will use the forum to build a more open and efficient international cooperation platform; a closer, stronger partnership network; and to push for a more just, reasonable and balanced international governance system, Wang said.

According to Wang Xiaotao, deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission, high-level meetings on the first day of the forum will include a plenary session and six parallel panel discussions.

Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli will deliver a speech to the plenary session, expected to be attended by leaders of related countries and heads of international organizations. Six parallel panel discussions in the afternoon of May 14 will focus on policy coordination and connection of development strategies, connectivity, economic and trade cooperation, investment and financing system, people-to-people bonds and think-tank communication, said Wang Xiaotao.

More than 1,200 delegates will attend the forum, including officials, scholars, entrepreneurs, representatives of financial institutions and media organizations from 110 nations, as well as representatives from more than 60 international organizations.