The 2025 meeting of the Advisory Committee of the the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation was held in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province on the 15th. Members of the Consultative Committee from many countries held in-depth discussions on international cooperation on the “the Belt and Road”, trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, digital economy and artificial intelligence cooperation and other topics.
In early summer, the coast of the East China Sea witnessed a feast of intellectual fusion. We come from different continents around the world, with diverse experiences and diverse ideas, but we all strive to contribute our professional expertise, “said Mwincha, a member of the Advisory Committee and former Vice Chairman of the African Union Commission.
Currently, the multilateral system is facing challenges, with unilateralism and protectionism seriously impacting the international economic order and harming the interests of the international community. China’s role in it has become the focus of attention for the committee members.
During an interview, Fan Zhilian, Chairman of Standard Life Insurance Group in the UK, stated that China, as the world’s second-largest economy deeply integrated into the global supply chain, possesses both infrastructure technology advantages and a huge market capacity, and should play a leading role in advocating multilateralism.
“As the initiator of the ‘the Belt and Road’ initiative, China not only injects momentum into the development of small and medium-sized economies, but also provides inspiration to the world through its own practice. At present, China properly addresses the concerns of all parties while maintaining the global order, and this constructive attitude will bring good news to the world,” said Kakar, former Prime Minister of Pakistan.
From Mwen’s perspective, as a highly effective global public product today, the “the Belt and Road” initiative has brought together the joint efforts of more than 150 countries and 30 international organizations, which is a historical choice.
“It is worth noting that this includes 52 African countries and the African Union, who all agree with the spirit and vision of the initiative.” Mwencha said that during his tenure as the vice chairman of the AU Commission, he had a deep understanding of the deep connection between the African continent and the “the Belt and Road” initiative. By 2024, the trade volume between China and Africa has approached 300 billion US dollars
Economic and trade cooperation will inject strong development momentum into the “the Belt and Road” countries. In 2024, countries jointly building the “the Belt and Road” will account for more than 50% of China’s imports and exports for the first time.
Nowadays, we are eagerly looking forward to exploring new fields such as technology and artificial intelligence. Africa also needs breakthroughs in these areas, “Mwincha said.
The world is making great strides towards the era of digitization and artificial intelligence. Kakar said that mastering emerging technologies is very important. China not only benefits its own people through technological innovation, but also benefits its friendly partners by promoting the joint construction of the “the Belt and Road” and other practices.
Li Daokui, Dean of the China Institute of Economic Thought and Practice at Tsinghua University, told reporters that China continues to promote technological innovation, and breakthrough science and technology innovation enterprises continue to “appear” globally, providing a powerful driving force for technological progress to the world.
Feng Huilan, former Executive Vice President of the World Bank, said that since the beginning of this year, science and technology innovation enterprises represented by DeepSeek have attracted global attention. It is hoped that more students from the “the Belt and Road” co construction countries will come to China for further study, learn experience in digital economy, artificial intelligence, new energy vehicles and other fields, and return to China to participate in the construction of the “the Belt and Road” project in the future.
Former Egyptian Prime Minister Sharaf believes that currently, the world is facing the challenge of a lack of trust, and cultural differences are sometimes even mistaken as reasons for opposing each other. China has put forward the Global Civilization Initiative, advocating for respect for diversity and equal exchanges, providing new ideas for bridging differences and rebuilding trust.
Cultural diversity should be a bridge for cooperation, not a source of conflict. As countries with profound cultural heritage and important historical chapters, China and Egypt can jointly play an important role in this issue, “he said.
At the closing of the conference, Mwincha told reporters that the conference has added confidence to strengthening global cooperation, and “we are willing to work together for a better world
“Under the framework of the ‘the Belt and Road’, we are moving in a bright direction together. China’s development will benefit all people – this is the signal we have clearly received, and it is something we always believe in,” Kakar said.