On the Regular Press Conference on 18 November 2020, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian briefed about the latest development of Chinese vaccines trials as follows:
BRI cooperation is demonstrating great resilience despite the pandemic. China has signed 201 BRI cooperation documents with 138 countries and 31 international organizations. I’d like to cite some examples of the progress we made.
First, foreign trade and investment remains basically stable. In the first three quarters this year, China’s trade with BRI partner countries reached over $960 billion, the increase of which is 0.8 percentage points higher than that of China’s overall trade. Our direct investment in the non-financial sectors of BRI partner countries was $13 billion, registering a 30 percent year-on-year growth, and the increase is 32 percentage points higher than that of China’s direct investment in the non-financial sectors of foreign countries.
Second, major projects have been progressing smoothly. The China-Laos Railway tunnel was completed. The contract for Phase 1 of China-Thailand Railway was signed. The construction of Jakarta-Bandung Railway reached major goals. The Orange Line metro train service was inaugurated in Pakistan. These are all major projects under the BRI.
Third, China-Europe freight trains made more trips despite the pandemic. China-Europe freight trains made more than 10,000 trips as of November 5, which is more than that of last year, and delivered 930,000 TEUs of goods, marking a 54 percent year-on-year growth. The transportation network is still expanding. The China-Europe Railway Express connects 21 countries and 92 cities in Europe and has delivered nearly eight million items of medical supplies, altogether over six tonnes. We can proudly say that the China-Europe Railway Express is serving as a key “cargo lifeline” for China-Europe cooperation in fighting COVID-19.
Fourth, new breakthroughs have been made in the development of a “Silk Road of health”. Since the COVID-19 broke out, upholding the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind, China has been providing material and technological assistance to BRI partners to the best of our ability. We have delivered over 280 batches of emergency medical supplies to more than 150 countries and international organizations. I give a big thumbs-up to the major progress achieved in BRI cooperation!
Following the principle of consultation and cooperation for shared benefits, China will continue working with BRI partners to pursue open, green and clean cooperation and high-standard and sustainable development that benefits the people. We will continue advancing BRI cooperation to deliver more tangible benefits to people in all countries.
