China’s Xi hosts world leaders, including Putin, for Belt and Road Forum

By Necva Tastan

ISTANBUL (AA) – China’s President Xi Jinping on Tuesday hosted world leaders, including his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, for the third Belt and Road Forum in Beijing.

Xi met leaders of Uzbekistan, Serbia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Hungary, Ethiopia, Serbia, Chile, and Kazakhstan.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Pakistani Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar, and leaders from Sri Lanka, the Republic of Congo, and Nigeria are attending the forum.

The Chinese president hosted the leaders at Great Hall of the People in the capital for state banquet.

A group picture posted on X by China's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying showed some 25 foreign leaders, including Putin, standing alongside Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan.

Beijing is hosting the two-day forum, which is expected to see the participation by over 4,000 representatives from around the world.

The event will host six seminars and three high-level forums on connectivity, green development, and digital economy. An entrepreneurs' conference is also scheduled on the forum's sidelines.

The Belt and Road Initiative, billed as recreating the ancient Silk Road to boost global trade infrastructure, was proposed by Xi in 2013 to connect China with the markets of Central Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Africa.

With more than 200 cooperation agreements spread across 150 countries and 30 international organizations, the cumulative value of imports and exports between China and the partner countries has reached $19.1 trillion, with an average annual growth rate of 6.4% from 2013 until 2022.