People take part in a presentation of the Russian version of the Belt and Road Portal, the official website of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), held at the China Cultural Center in Moscow, Russia, Sept. 20, 2023. (Xinhua/Bai Xueqi)
MOSCOW, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- A presentation of the Russian version of the Belt and Road Portal, the official website of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), was held at the China Cultural Center in Moscow on Wednesday.
In a welcoming speech, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China to Russia Sun Weidong noted that ten years ago, Chinese President Xi Jinping put forward the initiative of jointly building the Belt and Road.
Over the course of a decade, the BRI, guided by the spirit of cooperation for mutual benefit and common gain, has continuously facilitated the connectivity in policy, trade, transportation, finance and people-to-people exchanges in the Belt and Road countries, and positively contributed to common development in the countries and the prosperity and stability throughout the world, he said.
The Chinese diplomat stressed that Russia has always been a supporter and important partner in the Belt and Road international cooperation. The development of the Belt and Road and the advancement of China-Russia cooperation require the effective and uninterrupted exchange of information.
He added that China's Belt and Road Portal is an authoritative official online platform that is able to provide timely and comprehensive information on the Belt and Road. It will provide the Russian side with comprehensive and practical services with regard to its participation in the implementation of the initiative.
Jing Ruyue, secretary-general of Xinhua News Agency, noted that this year marks the BRI's 10th anniversary. Xinhua will use the portal to provide reliable and timely information about the Belt and Road in multiple languages, and use the agency's advantages to strengthen China-Russia information exchanges and cooperation within the framework of the Belt and Road.
Xinhua will continue to strengthen its news gathering and editing capabilities to expand the delivery of information related to China and Russia. It will continue to create a China-Russia platform for cooperation and exchanges to boost the international influence of the BRI. Xinhua will also display the advantages of high-level think tanks to deepen exchanges and cooperation in people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.
Xinhua will continue to make full use of its advantages to provide high-level news and information services for exchanges between China and Russia, and continue to effectively promote the Belt and Road, Jing added.
Vladimir Zakharov, former deputy secretary-general of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, said at the presentation that the BRI has grown to a global initiative to unite the destinies of the peoples worldwide and provide promising prospects of economic and social development for various countries.
He added that the portal will provide truthful and objective information, guide the international community toward full cooperation, and contribute to the building of human community with a shared future.
In his speech, Vitaly Mankevich, president of the Russian-Asian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, said that the two countries' relations have been developing well, with close economic, trade and people-to-people exchanges, which display the benefits of the BRI.
The BRI is highly appreciated in Russia at various levels, and its significance is widely recognized, Mankevich said, adding that the Belt and Road Portal will become an important platform to provide Russian enterprises with the opportunity of discovering examples of cooperation within the framework of the Belt and Road, and a platform to guarantee mutual understanding and fruitful communication.
A ceremony was also held on Wednesday at the center for the signing of an agreement by users of Xinhua Silk Road information products. In addition, cooperation agreements were signed between the Eurasian Bureau of Xinhua News Agency and the Ulyanovsk State University, the Institute of China and Contemporary Asia of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and the Russian-Asian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs. These agreements are expected to further contribute to expanding cooperation in the study and promotion of Xinhua Silk Road products, and boosting cooperation in the information and news sector. ■