Global solutions

Analysts have highlighted the significance of the Belt and Road Initiative, or BRI, first proposed by Xi in 2013, in advancing policy, infrastructure, trade, financial and people-to-people connectivity, and fostering new growth drivers for different nations.

As of July, Beijing had signed BRI cooperation documents with 149 countries and 32 international organizations, adopting more than 3,000 cooperation projects involving investment of nearly $1 trillion.

In Pakistan, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor — infrastructure projects under construction in Pakistan since 2013 — has created 38,000 jobs, more than 75 percent of which are for local residents, according to a report by the National Bureau of Statistics.

The report said the joint building of the BRI is expected to help 7.6 million people shake off extreme poverty, and 32 million people to escape from moderate poverty.

China has set up the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, or AIIB, and the Silk Road Fund, which, coupled with the BRI, have become the most extensive, inclusive and largest platforms for international cooperation.

Wang, from the CCG, said a key factor contributing to the success of the BRI and the AIIB is that China, as the world's largest developing nation, has a keen understanding of the challenges facing less-developed countries.

"China is also facing problems of unbalanced growth between different regions. The nation shook off absolute poverty less than two years ago, and it has plenty of experience to share in improving public living standards," he said.

Following the BRI, the European Union last year unveiled a plan to invest 300 billion euros ($291.5 billion) globally by 2027 on infrastructure, and digital and climate projects, while the Group of Seven nations announced a global infrastructure initiative this year aimed at mobilizing $600 billion in investments by 2027.

Wang Huiyao said the recent announcements of infrastructure plans by the EU and G7 underscore the fact that China has led the global initiative in delivering quality, sustainable infrastructure that makes a difference to people's lives around the world.

"China has never sought to be a global leader. Instead, the nation has sought to take some leading positions in pushing forward global development and solving global problems," he said.

State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at this year's session of the UN General Assembly that in response to worldwide food security challenges, China has put forward a cooperation initiative on global food security, and has provided more than 15,000 metric tons of emergency humanitarian food assistance to other developing countries in need.

Wang Huiyao noted that China is the top contributor to peacekeeping personnel among the permanent members of the UN Security Council, and the second-largest funding contributor to the UN and its peacekeeping operations.

He added that the nation has made all-out efforts to advance and engage in global cooperation against the pandemic, adding, "We have done our best to provide anti-pandemic supplies and share our practices on combating the virus."

China was among the first nations to promise making COVID-19 vaccines a global public good and to support the waiving of intellectual property rights on the vaccines. The nation has provided more than 2.2 billion doses of vaccines to over 120 countries and international organizations, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.