BEIJING
Chinese President Xi Jinping vowed that his country will promote a new type of international relations of win-win cooperation during a keynote speech at a regional economic forum Saturday.
"We have only one planet, and countries share one world," China’s state news agency quoted Xi as saying at the opening of the annual Boao Forum for Asia in southern Boao town, Hainan province. This year’s conference is held under the theme "Asia's New Future: Towards a Community of Common Destiny."
"China will be steadfast in pursuing the independent foreign policy of peace, the path of peaceful development, the win-win strategy of opening up, and the approach of upholding justice while pursuing shared interests."
Referring to proverbs from different continents encouraging collaboration, he stressed, "all these sayings speak to one same truth, that is, only through win-win cooperation can we make big and sustainable achievements that are beneficial to all."
The president expressed the goals of its Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, set to be formally established by the end of this year and viewed as a threat to U.S. influence in the region.
"We will... advance complementary and coordinated development between the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and such multilateral financial institutions as the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank," Xi said.
He referred to the bank and China’s other endeavors such as the "Belt and Road" projects as "open initiatives."
"We welcome all countries along the routes and in Asia, as well as our friends and partners around the world, to take an active part in these endeavors."
Last October, 21 countries signed a memorandum of understanding to establish the bank in Beijing, where its headquarters will be located.
Six other countries joined the institution until Feb. 9, and nine others -- including Turkey -- applied to be founding members this month.
The "Belt and Road" initiatives consist of the Silk Road Economic Belt, which follows the ancient Silk Road trade route from China's coast through Central Asia to Europe, and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, which will stretch from China's south to Southeast Asia and even Africa.
According to Xinhua, the projects -- once realized -- will directly involve 4.4 billion people, or 63 percent of the world’s population.
Xi also reassured the conference Saturday of China’s "highly resilient" economy, whose growth of 7.4 percent last year was the slowest in 24 years.
He explained that China was shifting its focus from high-speed growth, scale and speed to medium-to-high-speed growth, quality and efficiency, and from investment in production factors to innovation.
