Spotlight: Xi's Boao remarks draw high comments

The keynote speech of Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) on Saturday is both inspiring and encouraging, foreign experts, politicians and business leaders have said.

Addressing the opening ceremony of the 2015 BFA annual conference, Xi called on the international community to build a community of common destiny and welcomed participation in the China-proposed "Belt and Road" initiatives, namely, the initiatives on building the Silk Road Economic Zone and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, and in the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).

The "Belt and Road" initiatives and the AIIB, two major concepts noted several times by Xi in his keynote speech, will exert an indirect boosting effect in advancing science and technology, said Ernst Ulrich von Weizsacker, co-president of the Club of Rome, a Switzerland-headquartered think tank.

The two epoch-making initiatives will also facilitate development of the energy sector, said the German political scientist and politician, noting China's active efforts in preserving natural resources including water, conserving energy and improving energy efficiency.

He also hailed Xi's call for mutual learning among civilizations. A growing number of foreign scholars, he said, have come to China for academic exchanges, broadening both minds for academic study and research, which is of great significance.

As Thailand is faced with a sluggish economy, China's "Belt and Road" initiatives and railway collaboration between the two sides is more crucial than ever, said Tang Zhimin, director of China ASEAN Studies under Bangkok-based Panyapiwat Institute of Management.

Those endeavors will not only stimulate Thailand's economic performance in the short term, but also help it develop into a regional logistics hub, Tang said.

As shown in the positive response of many countries to the China-initiated AIIB, the professor said China's economic and national strength have been increasingly recognized worldwide.

More importantly, it demonstrates that they trust China as a responsible global power, which cooperates with other nations on an equal footing and in accordance with international rules, Tang added.

Yangon Mayor U Hla Myint voiced his welcome for the "Belt and Road" initiatives, saying that his side stands ready for relevant cooperation at the current stage, while expecting more effective and pragmatic cooperation between Myanmar and China following the specifying of plans and projects of those initiatives.

Also inspired by Xi's remarks on the "Belt and Road" initiatives and the AIIB, Yong Chanthalangsy, director general of the Laos Institute of Foreign Affairs, noted that his country have prepared to participated in the grand vision.

As an inland nation, Laos hopes to take part in the development of the 21st century Maritime Silk Road and the AIIB in particular, with an eye to improving its infrastructure, said the former Lao Ambassador to the U.N.

He also expressed the hope to enhance cultural and academic exchanges with China in a bid to cement mutual understanding while learning from the world's second largest economy, Chanthalangsy said.

The China-proposed "Belt and Road" initiatives are vital to strengthening and consolidating economic cooperation within Asia, said Peter Cai, Business Spectator's China editor with Media Group of Australia.

China's successful experiences in infrastructure development could be made use of by its neighboring countries, said Cai, expecting economic interconnectivity and political mutual trust to be enhanced during state-to-state cooperation.

He added that Xi upheld a regionalism featuring openness and inclusiveness, which is well evidenced by the China-led AIIB.

Vlad Martynov, CEO of Russian smartphone manufacturer Yota, said the "Belt and Road" initiatives will facilitate regional development and provide more opportunities for success.

Countries need to unit together for regional success, which can be achieved at a faster pace as the "Belt and Road" initiatives bring together energy, knowledge, technology and other resources, said Martynov.

The "Belt and Road" initiatives eye a win-win scenario, rather than being based on the mind-set of zero-sum game by which some win at the cost the losses of others, he added.

Martynov continued to commend efforts to establish the AIIB, a to-be-launched international multilateral financial institution that is aimed at financing infrastructure construction and promoting regional interconnectivity and economic integration.

The AIIB could concentrate financial resources for joint investment in infrastructure, said Martynov, adding that those funds are previously very difficult to acquire but will no doubt benefit all.

Thanks to the AIIB, regional business, not confined to big ones, will be able to realize their ambition to compete and success in the global market, he said. Endi