The Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Venezuela celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road initiative, an economic, political and cultural proposal that the Asian nation put into practice with the aim of seeking a harmonious and beneficial development for the whole world.
The Chinese ambassador to our country, Lan Hu, invited personalities from all areas to show through impressive documentaries how the Belt and Road initiative has evolved in these 10 years. The senior diplomat explained the 5 pillars on which this proposal rests.
“The first is political coordination, with a shared strategic vision. The second is for connectivity, which has to do with the supply transport infrastructure. The third is for trade, investments. The fourth is for financing, to get more resources. And the fifth is cultural exchange, to strengthen deeper understanding,” Ambassador Lan Hu said in his speech.
China today has 150 partner countries in its trade initiative, in addition to 32 international organizations. Under the Belt and Road, more than 200 cooperation documents have been signed, 18 Free Trade Agreements and more than 3 thousand projects have been developed in different sectors. Trade between China and its partners has multiplied and in 10 years has reached more than 2.7 trillion dollars. Venezuela adhered to the Belt and Road Initiative in 2018, and from this year that relationship will be relaunched in an important way.
“China and Venezuela are two great friends and have a long history of friendship and have a comprehensive strategic partnership. Without a doubt, we also want to deepen our relationship under this initiative (Belt and Road) ”, he added.
The Belt and Road initiative is fully open and transparent. “China does not pressure its partners or threaten them with sanctions or unequal treatment. In 10 years of the Belt and Road, China has invested 57 billion dollars and has created 421,000 direct jobs in each of those countries,” the Ambassador added.
In contrast, the diplomat said that last year the United States invested 782 billion dollars in its military spending to take the war to other countries. “In exchange, China promotes the growth of a Shared Future society, in peace, with justice and without impositions of any kind,” he said.
