Xi Jinping attended the opening ceremony of the "Belt and Road" Forum and delivered a keynote speech (full text)

Distinguished heads of state, government leaders, ministers, heads of international organizations, ladies and gentlemen,

Friends: "On the day of Mengxia, all things flourish." During this beautiful season, guests from various sectors from over 100 countries gather in Beijing to discuss the cooperation plan for the construction of the "Belt and Road," which is of great significance. Today, with all the distinguished guests present, I look forward to everyone sharing their insights and speaking freely to contribute ideas and suggestions for promoting the construction of the "Belt and Road," so that this century project can benefit the people of all countries.

Ladies and gentlemen, friends!

More than 2000 years ago, our ancestors paved the way through grasslands and deserts, opening up the land Silk Road connecting Asia, Europe, and Africa; our ancestors set sail across turbulent seas, creating the maritime Silk Road connecting the East and West.

The ancient Silk Road opened a new window for friendly exchanges among countries and wrote a new chapter in human development and progress. The millennium-old "gold-plated bronze silkworm" preserved in the Shaanxi History Museum in China and the millennium-old sunken ship "Black Stone" discovered in Indonesia bear witness to this history. The ancient Silk Road stretched for thousands of miles over a millennium, accumulating a spirit centered on peace, cooperation, openness, inclusiveness, mutual learning, mutual benefit, and win-win outcomes. This is a precious heritage of human civilization.

——Peaceful cooperation. In the Han Dynasty of China over 140 years BC, a peace mission set out from Chang'an to open up the road from the East to the West, completing the "journey of exploration," famously represented by Zhang Qian's mission to the Western Regions. During the Tang, Song, and Yuan dynasties in China, both land and maritime Silk Roads developed simultaneously. Travelers from China, Italy, and Morocco such as Du Huan, Marco Polo, and Ibn Battuta left historical marks along these routes. In the early 15th century during the Ming Dynasty, China's famous navigator Zheng He made seven voyages across oceans, leaving behind timeless tales. The reason these pioneering endeavors are remembered in history is that they relied not on warhorses and spears but on caravans and goodwill; not on sturdy ships and cannons but on treasure ships and friendship. Generations of "Silk Road people" have built bridges of cooperation between East and West.

——Openness and inclusiveness. The ancient Silk Road crossed regions such as the Nile River basin, Tigris and Euphrates River basins, Indus River and Ganges River basins, Yellow River and Yangtze River basins; it traversed the cradles of Egyptian civilization, Babylonian civilization, Indian civilization, and Chinese civilization; it connected places where followers of Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam gathered; it spanned areas inhabited by people of different nations and skin colors. Different civilizations, religions, and ethnicities sought common ground while reserving differences in an open and inclusive manner, jointly writing magnificent poems of mutual respect and collaboratively painting beautiful pictures of common development. Ancient cities like Jiuquan, Dunhuang, Turpan, Kashgar, Samarkand, Baghdad, Constantinople; ancient ports like Ningbo, Quanzhou, Guangzhou, Beihai, Colombo, Jeddah, Alexandria are living fossils that record this history. History tells us: civilizations develop through openness; nations coexist through integration.

——Mutual learning and mutual benefit. The ancient Silk Road was not only a trade route but also a path for knowledge exchange. Along the ancient Silk Road, China exported silk, porcelain, lacquerware, and ironware to the West while bringing back pepper, flax, spices, grapes, and pomegranates. Along this route came Buddhism and Islam as well as Arab astronomy, calendars, and medicine into China; China's four great inventions and sericulture techniques also spread to the world. More importantly, the exchange of goods and knowledge brought about innovative ideas. For example, Buddhism originated in India but flourished in China before being passed down in Southeast Asia. Confucian culture originated in China but was esteemed by European thinkers like Leibniz and Voltaire. This is the charm of exchange and the result of mutual learning.

——Mutual benefit and win-win outcomes. The ancient Silk Road witnessed scenes where "envoys met on the road while merchants traveled without cease" on land as well as "ships exchanged goods at sea without knowing their number." On this major artery of trade, factors such as capital, technology, personnel flowed freely while goods resources were shared. Key cities like Almaty, Samarkand, Chang'an flourished alongside good ports like Sur Port and Guangzhou; ancient nations like Rome, Parthia (Anxi), Kushan thrived while China's Han and Tang dynasties entered a prosperous era. The ancient Silk Road created significant development and prosperity in regions.

History is the best teacher. This history shows that no matter how far apart we are from each other if we bravely take that first step towards each other with determination we can forge a path towards meeting each other getting to know each other developing together leading us towards happiness peace harmony.

Ladies and gentlemen! From a historical perspective humanity is currently in an era of great development transformation adjustment. The world is becoming increasingly multipolar economic globalization social informatization cultural diversity is deepening with peace development trends growing stronger while reform innovation continues to advance. The connections between countries have never been as close as they are today; people's aspirations for a better life have never been as strong as they are today; humanity's means to overcome difficulties have never been as rich as they are today. From a practical perspective we are facing a world filled with challenges. Global economic growth needs new drivers development needs to be more inclusive balanced while wealth gaps need bridging. Regional hotspots remain turbulent with terrorism spreading rampantly. The deficits in peace development governance pose severe challenges for all humanity. This has been a question I have pondered for some time now. In autumn 2013 I proposed building a Silk Road Economic Belt along with a Maritime Silk Road for the 21st century during my visits to Kazakhstan Indonesia which is known as the "Belt and Road" initiative. "Peach trees do not speak yet their paths are formed naturally." Over these past four years more than 100 countries international organizations have actively supported participated in Belt Road construction important resolutions from bodies such as United Nations General Assembly Security Council have also incorporated Belt Road construction content. The Belt Road initiative has gradually transformed from concept into action from vision into reality yielding fruitful results.

——This has been four years of deepening policy communication. I have repeatedly stated that Belt Road construction does not mean starting anew or tearing down what has been built but rather achieving strategic alignment complementary advantages. We have coordinated policies with relevant countries including Russia's proposal for an Eurasian Economic Union ASEAN's proposal for overall connectivity planning Kazakhstan's proposal for Bright Path Turkey's proposal for Middle Corridor Mongolia's proposal for Development Path Vietnam's proposal for Two Corridors One Circle UK's proposal for Northern Powerhouse Poland's proposal for Amber Road etc. Planning coordination work between China Laos Cambodia Myanmar Hungary has also fully unfolded. China has signed cooperation agreements with over 40 countries international organizations while engaging in mechanized capacity cooperation with over 30 countries during this forum we will also sign several agreements action plans on coordination cooperation jointly issuing initiatives to promote trade facilitation along Belt Road with over 60 countries international organizations achieving an effect where "one plus one is greater than two" through policy alignment.

——This is a year of continuous strengthening of infrastructure connectivity. "When the roads are open, all industries thrive." Together with relevant countries, we are accelerating the promotion of projects such as the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway, the China-Laos Railway, the China-Europe Railway Express, and the Hungary-Serbia Railway, constructing ports like Gwadar and Piraeus, and planning and implementing a large number of connectivity projects. Currently, led by economic corridors such as China-Pakistan, China-Mongolia-Russia, and the New Eurasian Land Bridge, supported by land, sea, and air channels as well as information highways, and relying on major projects like railways, ports, and pipelines, a composite infrastructure network is taking shape.

——This is a year of continuously improving trade facilitation. China is vigorously promoting trade and investment facilitation with countries participating in the "Belt and Road" initiative, continuously improving the business environment. I learned that the customs clearance time for agricultural products from Central Asian countries like Kazakhstan to reach the Chinese market has been reduced by 90%. From 2014 to 2016, the total trade volume between China and countries along the "Belt and Road" exceeded $3 trillion. China's cumulative investment in countries along the "Belt and Road" has exceeded $50 billion. Chinese enterprises have built 56 economic and trade cooperation zones in more than 20 countries, creating nearly $1.1 billion in tax revenue and 180,000 jobs for relevant countries. ——This is a year of expanding financial connectivity. Financing bottlenecks are a prominent challenge to achieving connectivity. China has carried out various forms of financial cooperation with countries and organizations participating in the "Belt and Road" initiative. The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank has provided $1.7 billion in loans for nine projects in participating countries of the "Belt and Road" initiative; the Silk Road Fund has invested $4 billion; and the China-CEEC "16+1" Financial Holding Company has been officially established. These new financial mechanisms complement traditional multilateral financial institutions like the World Bank, forming a clear-tiered and initially scaled financial cooperation network for the "Belt and Road" initiative. ——This is a year of continuously promoting people-to-people connectivity. "The friendship between nations lies in mutual affection among their people; mutual affection lies in understanding each other's hearts." Countries participating in the "Belt and Road" initiative promote the spirit of the Silk Road by developing intellectual Silk Roads, health Silk Roads, etc., conducting extensive cooperation in various fields such as science, education, culture, health, and people-to-people exchanges to solidify public support for the "Belt and Road" initiative and strengthen social foundations. The Chinese government provides 10,000 government scholarship slots to relevant countries each year; local governments have also established special scholarships for the Silk Road to encourage international cultural and educational exchanges. Various cultural cooperation projects such as Silk Road cultural years, tourism years, art festivals, film bridges, seminars, think tank dialogues are flourishing; people are frequently interacting, bringing hearts closer together through exchanges. The fruitful results indicate that the "Belt and Road" initiative aligns with the trend of the times, adapts to development laws, meets the interests of people from all countries, and has broad prospects. Ladies and gentlemen! The Chinese say, "The beginning is always difficult." The construction of the "Belt and Road" has already taken solid steps forward. We must seize opportunities to promote steady progress in building the "Belt and Road," moving towards a better future. Here are a few points I would like to discuss.

First, we must build the "Belt and Road" into a road of peace. The ancient Silk Road flourished in peacetime but declined during wars. The construction of the "Belt and Road" cannot be separated from a peaceful environment. We need to establish a new type of international relations centered on win-win cooperation and create partnerships based on dialogue rather than confrontation or alliances. All countries should respect each other's sovereignty, dignity, territorial integrity; respect each other's development paths and social systems; respect each other's core interests and major concerns. The regions along the ancient Silk Road were once known as places "flowing with milk and honey," but many areas have now become synonymous with conflict turmoil and crisis challenges. This situation cannot continue any longer. We must establish a common, comprehensive, cooperative, sustainable security concept to create a security pattern that is built together and shared by all.

Second, we must build the "Belt and Road" into a road of prosperity. Development is the master key to solving all problems. Promoting construction of the "Belt and Road" should focus on this fundamental issue of development to unleash each country's development potential for greater economic integration, development linkage, and shared outcomes. Industry is the foundation of economy. We should deepen industrial cooperation to promote compatibility and mutual enhancement among national industrial development plans; focus on major project construction; strengthen international capacity cooperation; seize new opportunities from industrial revolution developments; cultivate new business formats; maintain economic growth vitality. Finance is the bloodline of modern economy. When blood flows smoothly, growth becomes strong. We need to establish a stable, sustainable financial security system that can control risks; innovate investment and financing models; promote public-private partnerships; build diversified financing systems; develop inclusive finance; improve financial service networks.

Third, we must build the "Belt and Road" into an open road. Openness brings progress while closure leads to backwardness. For a country, openness is like breaking out of a cocoon into a butterfly; it may experience temporary pain but will lead to rebirth. The construction of the "Belt and Road" should be open-oriented to address economic growth balance issues. We need to create an open cooperative platform that maintains and develops an open world economy; jointly create an environment conducive to open development; promote fair, reasonable, transparent international trade investment rules systems; facilitate orderly flow of production factors; achieve efficient resource allocation; deepen market integration.

Fourth, we must build the "Belt and Road" into an innovative road. Innovation is an important driving force for development. The construction of the "Belt and Road" itself is an innovation; doing well in its construction requires drawing power from innovation as well. We should adhere to innovation-driven development by strengthening cooperation in cutting-edge fields such as digital economy, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, quantum computing; promote big data cloud computing smart city construction to connect into a digital Silk Road for the 21st century.

Fifth, we aim to build the "Belt and Road" into a path of civilization. The construction of the "Belt and Road" should transcend civilizational barriers through civilizational exchanges, transcend civilizational conflicts through mutual learning, and transcend civilizational superiority through coexistence, promoting mutual understanding, respect, and trust among countries. We need to establish a multi-level cultural cooperation mechanism, create more cooperation platforms, and open up more cooperation channels. We should promote educational cooperation, expand the scale of student exchanges, and enhance the level of cooperative education. We should leverage think tanks to build a good think tank alliance and cooperation network. In the fields of culture, sports, and health, we need to innovate cooperation models and promote practical projects. We should make good use of historical and cultural heritage to jointly create tourism products and heritage protection with the characteristics of the Silk Road. We need to strengthen exchanges among parliaments, political parties, and civil organizations of various countries, closely connect groups such as women, youth, and people with disabilities to promote inclusive development. We also need to strengthen international anti-corruption cooperation to make the "Belt and Road" a path of integrity. Ladies and gentlemen, friends! Currently, China's development is at a new starting point. We will deeply implement the development concepts of innovation, coordination, green development, openness, and sharing, continuously adapt to, grasp, and lead the new normal of economic development, actively promote supply-side structural reforms, achieve sustainable development, inject strong momentum into the "Belt and Road," and bring new opportunities for world development.

China is willing to develop friendly cooperation with all countries participating in the "Belt and Road" construction based on the five principles of peaceful coexistence. China is willing to share its development experience with countries around the world but will not interfere in other countries' internal affairs, export social systems or development models, nor impose them on others. Our promotion of the "Belt and Road" construction will not repeat old patterns of geopolitical games but will create new models of win-win cooperation; it will not form destabilizing small groups but will build a harmonious family.

China has already reached practical cooperation agreements on the "Belt and Road" with many countries, including hardware connectivity projects such as transportation, infrastructure, and energy as well as software connectivity projects like communication, customs, inspection and quarantine. It also includes cooperation plans and specific projects in various fields such as trade, industry, e-commerce, marine economy, and green economy. The railway departments of China and relevant countries will sign an agreement to deepen cooperation on China-Europe freight trains. We will promote these cooperative projects to start early and achieve results soon.

China will increase financial support for the "Belt and Road" construction by adding 100 billion yuan to the Silk Road Fund and encouraging financial institutions to carry out overseas fund business in yuan with an estimated scale of about 300 billion yuan. The China Development Bank and the Export-Import Bank will provide special loans equivalent to 250 billion yuan and 130 billion yuan respectively to support infrastructure construction, capacity building, and financial cooperation under the "Belt and Road." We will also cooperate with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, BRICS New Development Bank, World Bank, and other multilateral development institutions to support "Belt and Road" projects while jointly formulating financing guidelines for relevant parties.

China is willing to strengthen mutually beneficial economic and trade partnerships with countries participating in the "Belt and Road" construction to facilitate trade and investment with relevant countries while building a free trade network along the "Belt and Road," contributing to regional and global economic growth. During this forum session, China will sign economic cooperation agreements with more than 30 countries and negotiate free trade agreements with relevant countries. Starting from 2018, China will hold the China International Import Expo.

China is willing to strengthen innovation cooperation with all countries by launching the "Belt and Road" Science and Technology Innovation Action Plan that includes four actions: conducting scientific cultural exchanges; jointly building laboratories; cooperating on science parks; and technology transfer. In the next five years, we will arrange for 2,500 young scientists to come to China for short-term research work; train 5,000 science technology management personnel; and put into operation 50 joint laboratories. We will establish an ecological environmental big data service platform; advocate for establishing an international alliance for green development along the "Belt and Road," while providing assistance to relevant countries in addressing climate change.

In the next three years, China will provide 60 billion yuan in aid to developing countries participating in the "Belt and Road" construction as well as international organizations for building more livelihood projects. We will provide 2 billion yuan in emergency food aid to developing countries along the "Belt and Road," increase funding for South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund by 1 billion USD while implementing 100 projects such as 'Happy Home,' 'Love Assistance,' 'Rehabilitation Aid' in relevant countries along the route. We will provide 1 billion USD in aid to relevant international organizations for implementing a number of cooperative projects benefiting countries along the route.

China will establish a follow-up liaison mechanism for the "Belt and Road" International Cooperation Summit Forum; set up a research center for financial development under the "Belt and Road" initiative; establish a promotion center for "Belt and Road" construction; jointly set up a multilateral development financing cooperation center with multilateral development banks; cooperate with the International Monetary Fund to establish a capacity-building center. We will build a network for cooperation among civil organizations along the Silk Road; create news cooperation alliances; music education alliances; as well as other new platforms for cultural cooperation. The construction of the "Belt and Road" is rooted in the historical soil of the Silk Road while focusing on Asia-Europe-Africa continent while being open to all friends. Whether from Asia or Europe or Africa or America, everyone is a partner in international cooperation under the "Belt and Road." The construction of the "Belt and Road" will be discussed by everyone together; its achievements will be shared by everyone together. Ladies and gentlemen! An ancient Chinese saying goes: 'Without accumulating small steps you cannot reach a thousand miles.' An Arab proverb says: 'A pyramid is built stone by stone.' There is also a saying in Europe: 'Great achievements are not made in one day.' The construction of the "Belt and Road" is a great undertaking that requires great practice. Let us advance step by step in implementation while achieving results bit by bit for the benefit of the world and its people! I wish this summit forum great success! Thank you all.