In mid-May, Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed the world leaders attending the Belt and Road Forum (BRF) for International Cooperation in Beijing. The forum is a major boost and accelerator for synergies along the roads.
International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde commented on the BRF that “The Belt and Road Initiative is about connecting cultures, communities, economies, and people, and about adding new economic flavors by creating infrastructure projects that are based on 21st-century expertise and governance standards.”
The Belt and Road Initiative is a pioneering, international framework based on an “open platform concept,” which does not need a leader, but a curator who acts as a catalyst and coordinator for ensuring win-win outcomes, said Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum.
Rani Jarkas, Chairman of Cedrus Investments, an experienced investor in the region under Belt and Road Initiative, said, “The Belt and Road Initiative is meant to help developing countries to create more opportunities for growth and improve the lives of people. The breadth of this initiative, the high level of participation and its strategic dimensions, highlight its capacity to become the biggest economic cooperation project in place in this century.”