The Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, themed “High-quality Belt and Road Cooperation: Together for Common Development and Prosperity,” was held in Beijing on October 17-18, 2023. Gong Jiong, a China Forum expert and vice president for research at UIBE Israel, gave interviews to Asharq News, CGTN America’s The Heat and China 24 on Belt and Road cooperation and green BRI. 

Over the past decade, China Development Bank, Export-Import Bank of China and other key financial institutions have actively provided support the BRI countries on investment in infrastructure construction and financial cooperation, which has led to significant outcomes, said Professor Gong.

He noted the development opportunities China has brought to other BRI countries, especially the less developed regions in Africa. Over the past ten years, the initiative has developed over 3,000 cooperative projects, created 420,000 jobs for BRI countries, and lifted 40 million people out of poverty.

Professor Gong said that since 2013, China has stepped up its focus on green BRI development. In September 2021, China announced it will stop building coal-fired power projects abroad. In the future, it will continue to play a leading role in strengthening exchanges and cooperation with more BRI partners in ecological protection and climate governance to empower green and low-carbon transformation.

Launched in 1972, Asharq News is a 24/7 multi-platform Arabic news service headquartered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

CGTN America is the Washington News Bureau for China Central Television (CCTV), which, through a division named the China Global Television Network, offers multi-language news channels internationally.