Diplomacy pays dividends as countries benefit

A series of major projects were launched on the ground during the forum. A win-win cooperation network is being set up, centering around the Eurasian continent and reaching out to continents and oceans across the world.

China has signed Belt and Road cooperation agreements with 80 countries and organizations and built 75 overseas economic and trade cooperation zones in 24 countries under the Belt and Road framework, according to data released by the Foreign Ministry.

Chinese businesses have invested over $50 billion and created nearly 200,000 local jobs in the countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative.

"The Belt and Road has responded to the shared desire for accelerated development and seeks to pool the resources from wider areas," said Jin Yong, deputy head of the School of International Studies at Communication University of China.

The initiative will inject strong impetus to the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, he said.

Boosting open economies

Facing sluggish global economic growth, China has provided the solution, that is, to advocate free trade and economic globalization.

In his keynote speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January, Xi emphasized that many of the world's problems are not caused by economic globalization, and trying to reverse the trend of globalization will be futile.

"Practicing trade protectionism is like locking oneself in a dark room. It seems to have screened wind and rain, but it also isolates one from sunshine and air," Xi said at the forum.

The president advocated free trade and open economies on various occasions and global stages including the G20 Hamburg Summit, the BRICS Xiamen Summit and the APEC Economic Leaders' Week held in Da Nang, Vietnam.