1st LD Writethru: Xi says China to host Belt and Road forum in May

China plans to host a Belt and Road forum for international cooperation in Beijing this May to brainstorm on interconnected development, President Xi Jinping said here on Tuesday.

The upcoming forum will explore ways to address regional and global economic problems, generate fresh energy for interconnected development, and ensure that the Belt and Road Initiative delivers greater benefits to people of the countries involved, Xi said in a keynote speech at the opening session of the World Economic Forum (WEF)'s annual meeting in the Swiss ski resort of Davos.

The Chinese president put forward the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013, with the aim of building a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient Silk Road trade routes.

Since then, more than 100 countries and international organizations have given their warm responses to the initiative, and over 40 countries and organizations have signed cooperation agreements with China.

Xi arrived in Switzerland on Sunday for a four-day state visit and the WEF annual meeting.

It is the first state visit to the Alpine country by a Chinese president in the 21st century, and also the first time that a Chinese president attended the meeting, a gathering of 3,000 government, business and civil society leaders this year to shape global, regional and industry agendas together. Endi