Tunisia's former FM lauds China-proposed BRI

TUNIS, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Former Tunisian Foreign Minister Khemaies Jhinaoui has praised China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) for its positive impact on geopolitics and the global economy over the past decade.

Jhinaoui made the remarks at a seminar on Wednesday, which was co-hosted by the Tunisian Council for International Relations and the Chinese Embassy in Tunisia to discuss the initiative's achievements in the last 10 years.

"The BRI is very significant and attractive to countries around the world. The participation of representatives from more than 150 countries in the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation recently is proof of that," said Jhinaoui, also the chairman of the council.

Jhinaoui said he was "honored" to sign a memorandum of understanding, on behalf of Tunisia, with China in 2018 to join the BRI, adding that the initiative, launched by China in 2013, has had a positive global impact and shown China's desire to achieve mutual success with other countries based on mutual respect.

Wan Li, the Chinese ambassador to Tunisia, said at the seminar that the initiative has evolved from a Chinese proposal to international practice, from a concept to action, and from a vision to reality, adding that the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation established a consensus on starting a new phase of high-quality cooperation under the BRI.

Wan noted that China and Tunisia have had fruitful cooperation within the framework of the BRI in recent years, adding that as next year marks the 60th anniversary of the China-Tunisia diplomatic relations, China is willing to strengthen strategic alignment with Tunisia, explore new areas of cooperation, and embark on a new journey of development together.

Dozens of Tunisian diplomats, experts, and scholars attended the seminar and discussed with Chinese experts online.