Beijing (VNA) – President Vo Van Thuong and a high-rankingdelegation from Vietnam attended the opening ceremony of the third Belt andRoad Forum for International Cooperation (BRF 3) in Beijing on October 18 atthe invitation of General Secretary of the Communist Party of China andPresident of China Xi Jinping.

The forum drew the participation of more than 4,000 delegates from 140countries and 30 international organisations.

At the event, the state leaders and other participants spoke highly of China’sBelt and Road Initiative (BRI) with an array of cooperation programmes andprojects in the fields of transport, energy, digital economy, education,health care and science-technology, among others.

Cooperation under the initiative has contributed to promoting regional connectivity, green transition and digitaltransformation, while bolstering friendship and mutual understanding among peoples.

Towards a bright and prosperous future for residents, the leaders agreed toenhance coordination with a view to mobilising resources for socio-economicdevelopment in their countries, enhancing connectivity of economies, andensuring environmental and financial sustainability and social harmony.

In his remarks, General Secretary of the Communist Party of China and PresidentXi Jinping highlighted the initiative’s achievements in the past decade,including formation of economic corridors, roads and railways; and investmentin clean energy development, information infrastructure, human resources development, environmental and ecosystem protection, art and cultural and art exchanges, and businessconnectivity.

He described the achievements as a foundation for the next “golden decade” ofthe initiative, and laid stress on the three principles of "planning together, building together, and benefiting together.".

Xi also announced eight actions to supporthigh-quality Belt and Road cooperation, including building a multidimensional Beltand Road connectivity network, supporting the building of an open worldeconomy, and advancing practical cooperation to support high-quality Belt and Roadconstruction. Also included in the actions are promoting green development, advancing scientific andtechnological innovation, supporting people-to-people exchanges, promotingintegrity-based Belt and Road cooperation, and strengthening institutionalbuilding for international Belt and Road cooperation.

Secretary General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres congratulated achievements under the BRI, which are a vivid illustration for commitment to promoting multilateralisation, implementation of the 2030 Agenda forSustainable Development, and actions for peace, cooperation, and sustainabledevelopment and prosperity.

He also pointed out major challenges, including shortage ofinfrastructure, rising inequality, existential threat of climate breakdown, andreversing progress on the Sustainable Development Goals and the ParisAgreement.
 
He highlighted that countries should find andfund ways to generate economic growth, create decent jobs, transform energysystems, and advance sustainable solutions for the 21st century.

The BRI demonstrates that countries have a historic opportunity to buildmodern, green cities, communities and transportation and power systems thatplace resilience and sustainability at the heart, helping deliver services anddecent jobs for people in a sustainable manner, he added./.