Representatives of more than 130 countries and 30 international organizations are due to attend the Third Belt and Road Forum (BRF), which kicks off in Beijing on Tuesday. The forum’s theme is “High-quality Belt and Road Cooperation: Together for Common Development and Prosperity.”
Taking part in the two-day gathering is a number of world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is expected to meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the event.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Xi will attend the opening ceremony, deliver a keynote speech and "hold a welcoming banquet and bilateral events for the guests attending the forum."
Third But Not Least
Xi previously expressed hope the forthcoming forum would add significantly to “the development and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific region and the whole world.”
The BRF, which was earlier touted by the Chinese Foreign Ministry as “one of the most important diplomatic events” of the year, marks the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) that was okayed by Beijing in 2013.
Beijing hosted the first Belt and Road Forum in May 2017, while the second such gathering took place two years later in April 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic upset Beijing’s plans for a third BRF, but in November 2022 (after China reopened in the wake of the pandemic), President Xi announced his country plans to hold another such event.
BRF's Agenda
The BRF will reportedly include three high-level gatherings on cultural exchanges, anti-corruption and digital economy, as well as six seminars. A conference of entrepreneurs is also scheduled to be held on the margins of the forum.
One media outlet reported the BRF “will likely witness the signing of numerous agreements and Memoranda of Understanding between participating countries and organizations, reflecting a shared commitment to enhancing multilateral cooperation, trade, and investments, as well as promoting mutual prosperity and development.”
A state-run Chinese newspaper in turn reported the forum is expected “to highlight remarkable achievements that have been made in joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative" over the past decade, and "offer a crucial platform for countries and organizations to discuss high-quality BRI cooperation in a wide range of areas from infrastructure to green development."
The newspaper cited Helga Zepp-LaRouche, founder of Germany-based political and economic think tank the Schiller Institute, as saying the BRF is being held amid “the extraordinary challenges to all of mankind resulting from geopolitical divisions that presently threaten to separate the world into antagonistic blocs."
She stressed that in light of this, she is sure the forum “will expand that spirit of a single humanity, which will be united by enjoying the benefits of shared prosperity and a sense of belonging indeed to the one human species."
Maya Majueran, director of Belt and Road Initiative Sri Lanka, a Sri Lanka-based organization that specializes in BRI cooperation, for her part, told the newspaper the BRF is “not just a forum.”
“It's a way to showcase incredible stories of success which has generated tangible benefits for participating countries including increased investments, improved trade, job creation, poverty alleviation and people's livelihood improvement over the past 10 years,” Majueran pointed out.
Hamas-Israel Conflict to Be on Table?
A US broadcaster quoted Li Mingjiang, an associate professor of international relations at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, as saying that during the BRF, Chinese leaders may cite the current armed conflict between Israel and the militant group Hamas as another example of “how the various Chinese ideas and proposed principles may help better address regional security challenges.”
Jonathan Fulton, an Abu Dhabi-based senior fellow at the Atlantic Council think tank, for his part told the broadcaster that most regional actors may not see China as a player that can fundamentally address the Hamas-Israel issue, as this remains “an early moment in China’s Middle East presence.”
Last Saturday, the Palestinian militant group Hamas staged a surprise attack on Israel, which responded with retaliatory airstrikes on the Gaza Strip and preparing for a full-blown ground offensive. The Israeli Foreign Ministry has expressed “deep disappointment” over the lack of China’s condemnation of the Hamas attack.
Putin-Xi Talks
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has, meanwhile, told reporters the presidents of Russia and China will discuss bilateral ties “in full” during their upcoming talks at the BRF.
The remarks came after Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin and Xi “will find time for a confidential, face-to-face discussion” despite the arrival of many high-profile guests at the forum.
Asked how much attention will be paid to the situation in the world during the talks, Peskov said, "A lot, because both Russia and China play a very significant role in international affairs, and this role is growing."
"We are united by many integration processes, many associations, which are becoming increasingly attractive to the world community. These associations include countries that already represent the majority of the world's GDP [gross domestic product] and the majority of the world's population," the Kremlin spokesman underscored.
Xi was warmly welcomed in Moscow this past spring, with Russia becoming the first country he visited after his reelection. Xi explained he chose Moscow due to “historical logic,” calling Russia and China “comprehensive strategic partners” and “largest neighboring powers.”