On December 17, 2021, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended the meeting of the Advisory Council of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation 2021 in Beijing via video link.

Wang Yi said, this year marks the eighth anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) put forth by President Xi Jinping. Recently, President Xi Jinping attended and delivered important remarks at the third symposium on Belt and Road development. He set out clear requirements for the high-quality development of Belt and Road cooperation.

Wang Yi said, the past eight years have witnessed pioneering efforts and hard-won progress. Solid and significant outcomes have been achieved, with hard connectivity as the direction, soft connectivity as the support and people-to-people connectivity as the bond.

Wang Yi noted, this year has been extraordinary in the journey of Belt and Road cooperation. Confronted by the global pandemic and a fluid international landscape, we have achieved a series of new achievements in Belt and Road international cooperation. Our practical cooperation has made steady progress. The green Silk Road has shown great vitality. The Silk Road of health has delivered remarkable progress. The cooperation network has grown more sophisticated. All these lent new impetus to the global efforts to fight the pandemic and protect people's well-being, and provided new underpinning for countries to boost cooperation and recover the economy.

Wang Yi said, experience over the past year once again shows that BRI cooperation has not stopped because of COVID-19; on the contrary, it has become a road of hope that bolsters resilience and boosts confidence. The BRI has never been a geopolitical strategy, but a road of development that drives shared progress and prosperity. Moreover, the BRI has not created the so-called "debt trap", but serves as a road of opportunity that delivers mutual benefit. The BRI will not damage the environment, but is a green road that facilitates low-carbon growth and environmental protection.

Wang Yi said, the global recovery has come to a critical juncture. With that in mind, China hopes to work together with all partners on the following fronts:

First, upholding a people-centered philosophy of cooperation. Meeting our people's aspiration for a better life is why we started the BRI in the first place. We will continue to focus on economic growth, job creation, livelihood protection and poverty reduction, and develop more cooperation projects that improve people's lives. China will continue to carry out anti-COVID cooperation with other parties. We will fulfill our commitments to donating COVID vaccines free of charge, and help bring life back to normal across countries at an early date.

Second, following the cooperation principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits. The BRI is the common cause of all our partners. China will work with other parties to pursue a coordinated approach to COVID response and BRI cooperation, work on the funding support, supporting services and security safeguards of cooperation projects, and share responsibilities, risks and benefits. China welcomes more countries and institutions to join tripartite or multiparty cooperation under the BRI. China welcomes and is open to all cooperation initiatives that are truly beneficial to enhancing connectivity, boosting economic growth, improving people's well-being and advancing social progress. China is prepared to communicate and cooperate with such initiatives to expand complementarity and forge synergy.

Third, keeping to the direction of high-quality and high-standard cooperation. We will align with the widely accepted international rules and standards more proactively, carry out more high-quality projects, shape more best practices, and make sure that projects are sustainable economically, fiscally, financially and environmentally. We will build up connectivity with other countries, and keep global supply and industrial chains stable and smooth with joint efforts. We welcome the participation of more countries in the Initiative for Belt and Road Partnership on Green Development, and will accelerate efforts to fuel Belt and Road cooperation with digital technology, and continue to tackle corruption with zero tolerance.

Fourth, embracing the vision of cooperation for common development around the world. We will continue to take the BRI forward as part of the global development cause, and pursue economic, social and ecological development in a coordinated manner. Through Belt and Road cooperation, we seek to help other developing countries, especially the least developed ones, in their efforts to reduce poverty, and make the BRI a pathway to poverty alleviation for developing countries. China's new development paradigm will bring more market and development opportunities to our BRI partners.

Wang Yi said, this year marks the centenary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC). One important piece of experience the CPC has gained in leading the Chinese people in the 100-year struggle is to embrace a global vision, both seeking happiness for the Chinese people and contributing to the shared progress of the world. We will stay committed to peace, development, equity, justice, democracy and freedom, the common values of humanity. We will stay committed to openness and mutual benefit, and away from isolation and zero-sum game, and provide impetus to the building of a community with a shared future for mankind through high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.

Wang Yi also witnessed the release of the Report on the Findings and Recommendations from the Meetings of the Advisory Council of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in 2019 and 2020.