France sends Belt and Road Initiative study group to Xiamen

Updated: November 21, 2017 Source: chinadaily.com.cn
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At the invitation of the Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs, a French delegation made up of important figures in the country's political, military and media circles, and experts from mainstream think tanks paid a visit to the coastal city of Xiamen from Nov 9-11.

The purpose of the visit was to learn about Xiamen's experience in the implementation of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the achievements of Sino-France and China-Europe cooperation under the framework of BRI.

Han Jingyi, deputy mayor of Xiamen, extended a warm welcome to the delegation on Nov 10. Han briefed the guests on the progress his city has made in promoting the development of China-Europe freight train services, globalization of local enterprises, development of cruise tourism and people-to-people exchanges.

The efforts are conducive to boosting the connectivity between China and countries along the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, particularly through greater economic and trade cooperation, maritime cooperation and people-to-people exchanges between China and other coastal countries, making Xiamen a pivot city in the implementation of the BRI, according to Han.

The French side said the visit to Xiamen bore fruitful results and they were inspired by Xiamen's experience in the implementation of the BRI.

The BRI not only brings development opportunities to countries involved in the initiative, but will also promote the development of the world, according to the delegation.

During their stay in Xiamen, the study group paid a visit to the Xiamen-Europe freight railway, Yuanhai Container Terminal, China's first fully-automated container terminal and local enterprises involved in the BRI such as bus manufacturer Xiamen King Long United Automotive Industry Co.

Editor: liuyue