We’ll open up economic relationship with more countries ― China

The government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) on Tuesday announced its plans to in the future embark on open up initiatives with other countries.

The Acting Consul General of China in Lagos, Mr Guan Zhongqi, made the disclosure at a news conference to announce the outcome of the Second Belt and Road Forum.

Guan said that the Second Belt and Road Forum held in Beijing, China, from April 25 to April 27 was tagged “Belt and Road Cooperation: Shaping a Brighter Shared Future’’.

“The Belt and Road Cooperation reflects China’s determination to promote an all-round pattern of opening up, and deepening of our reform and opening up has continued to inject into the Belt and Road cooperation.

“At the opening ceremony of the forum, President Xi Jinping, announced that China will carry out a series of major reform and opening up initiatives.

“This will include expanding foreign market access in a broader area, strengthening international cooperation on intellectual property rights protection, increasing imports of goods and services on a larger scale and effective implementation of the international macro-economic policy,’’ he said.

According to him, the opening up would provide greater opportunities for the Belt and Road cooperation as well as promote win-win prosperity for all countries.

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The Chinese envoy said that about 127 countries and 29 international organisations had so far signed the Belt and Road cooperation documents with the Chinese government.

Guan said that the Second Forum was this year and China’s most important diplomatic event with the significance of building an open world economy, building the Belt and Road from a strategic perspective.

Guan added that the forum was important for combining domestic and external cooperation to catalyse China’s reform and opening up initiatives.

“The BRI advocates multilateralism and cooperation through consultation. We will continue to follow the golden principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, adhere to the concept of open, inclusive and transparent cooperation.

“We will actively promote a global partnership of connectivity, which is an important consensus that all parties reached at the Second Belt and Road Forum,’’ he said.