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Xi Jinping kicks off belt and road forum with diplomatic charm offensive
- Xi seeks to position China as supportive partner in meetings with Kazakh and Ethiopian leaders in Beijing
- China hopes the summit to mark 10 years of the Belt and Road Initiative will help expand the country’s influence among developing countries
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Chinese President Xi Jinping rolled out the red carpet for world leaders, including his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, for China’s biggest diplomatic charm offensive of the year at the start of the belt and road forum on Tuesday.
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The two-day summit, which kicked off on Tuesday, marks the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative, a global infrastructure and investment scheme that Beijing has touted as an alternative development model for developing countries.
China is looking to expand its influence in the so-called Global South and the summit comes as international divisions are exposed by the ongoing war in Ukraine and the recent violence in Israel and the Gaza Strip, which has increased fears of a humanitarian disaster.
Earlier on Tuesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that President Joe Biden would visit Israel and Jordan to speak to Middle Eastern leaders.
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Security tight in Chinese capital as foreign leaders arrive for Belt and Road Forum in Beijing
Security tight in Chinese capital as foreign leaders arrive for Belt and Road Forum in Beijing
Xi tried to portray China as a reliable and trusted partner to the developing world in his meetings on Tuesday.
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