(BRF2023) BRI serves as efficient platform for building better world, say int'l officials, investors

BEIJING, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- International officials and investors at the ongoing third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation said that the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) serves as an efficient platform for its members to work together for a better world.

"We developed in the last 10 years more than we did in the last thirty years before that," said Danijel Nikolic, assistant secretary general of the government of the Republic of Serbia.

He said that Serbia sees great benefits in joining the BRI. During the last decade, Serbia has constructed more highways than it did in its history.

"We are really proud that we are one of the strongest pillars of the BRI," he said.

China and Serbia have made a breakthrough in large cooperative projects, including the Hungary-Serbia railway and the Zemun-Borca bridge. The infrastructure has not only significantly improved the daily experiences of commuters but also injected new vitality into the country's economy.

"The BRI is extremely real for me, it signifies history. People have been trading and communicating for over three thousand years through the Silk Road," said Rani Jarkas, chairman and member of the board of Cedrus Group.

He also dismissed the claim of the so-called "debt trap" hyped by some Western media, emphasizing the positive nature of the BRI.

He said that he has traveled to many countries and seen how Chinese companies built infrastructure such as bridges, ports, and so forth. All of them have enabled people to enjoy a better life.

Sheikh Arif, CEO of the Roofings Group in Uganda, said that the BRI provides a better opportunity for his country to export things to neighboring countries and across the world.

"What we have seen over the years is everybody is starting to be isolated and looking inwardly," said Raymond Peter, managing director of Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., adding that every country can contribute and work together under the BRI.

"Through the BRI, we can see teamwork. We can see countries coming together for the common good," he said.

The third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, held in Beijing on Oct. 17-18, is attended by over 4,000 delegates from over 140 countries and 30-plus international organizations, including heads of state, senior officials and business representatives. The theme of the forum is "High-quality Belt and Road Cooperation: Together for Common Development and Prosperity."