Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation

The Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (also known as the Belt and Road Forum or BRFIC)[1] is an international political and economic forum of the Belt and Road Initiative.

The forum will be a platform for working out action plans for implementation of the initiative in the areas of infrastructure, energy and resources, production capacity, trade and investment and identification of major projects.[2] It is also intended to be an opportunity for the signing of cooperation agreements with countries and international organizations in the areas of financial cooperation mechanism; a cooperation platform for science, technology and environmental protection; and enhanced exchanges and training of talent and financing agreements for backing projects.[2]

2017

Main article: 2017 Belt and Road Forum
Participants of the 1st Belt and Road Forum held in 2017

The first event was on 14 and 15 May 2017 in Beijing, and drew 29 foreign heads of state and government and representatives from more than 130 countries and 70 international organizations.[3][4]

The purpose of the forum is described by Wang Xiaotao, deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission, in an interview with Xinhua as building "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."[2] Western media coverage portrayed the forum in a similar way with CNN referring to the event under the headline "China's new world order" and the Los Angeles Times running the article "Globalization 2.0: How China's two-day summit aims to shape a new world order".[5][6]

2019

A second Belt and Road Forum was held from 25 to 27 April 2019 in Beijing.[1] Thirty-seven heads of state attended the second BRFIC, as did about five thousand other representatives.[7]

The second forum identified 283 projects, agreements, or initiatives proceeding under the BRI.[8]: 60 

During the second forum, China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment established the BRI International Green Development Coalition as a joint project with the environmental agencies of twenty-five other countries.[8]: 60 

2023

Main article: 2023 Belt and Road Forum

A third forum was held on 17-19 October, 2023.[9]

References

  1. ^ a b Parameswaran, Prashanth (May 7, 2019). "What's in China's New Belt and Road Recalibration?". The Diplomat.
  2. ^ a b c "Belt and Road forum agenda set". Xinhua News Agency. April 18, 2017.
  3. ^ "Belt and Road Forum to bring about fresh ideas". State Council of the People's Republic of China. May 12, 2017.
  4. ^ "Belt and Road Attendees List". The Diplomat. May 12, 2017.
  5. ^ "China's new world order: Xi, Putin and others meet for Belt and Road Forum". CNN. May 14, 2017.
  6. ^ "Globalization 2.0: How China's two-day summit aims to shape a new world order". Los Angeles Times. May 12, 2017.
  7. ^ Zhao, Suisheng (2023). The Dragon Roars Back: Transformational Leaders and Dynamics of Chinese Foreign Policy. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. p. 98. ISBN 978-1-5036-3088-8. OCLC 1331741429.
  8. ^ a b Shinn, David H.; Eisenman, Joshua (2023). China's Relations with Africa: a New Era of Strategic Engagement. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-21001-0.
  9. ^ "China says 90 countries have confirmed attendance for Belt and Road Initiative". Reuters. September 7, 2023.
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