POND ISLAND--Prime Minister William Marlin will join Russian President Vladimir Putin, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, among others, at the One Belt, One Road Forum for International Cooperation May 14-15 in Beijing, China.
Marlin announced his attendance in the Council of Ministers Press Briefing on Wednesday. “It is truly an honour for me to be invited and I have accepted the invitation,” he said, adding that he expected to receive his passport with his visa for China on Wednesday afternoon.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to deliver a keynote speech at the opening ceremony. He will also host a roundtable meeting on policy and strategic development. Various topics will be discussed during the forum including infrastructure, economic cooperation and energy resources.
The Belt and Road initiative aims to increase international cooperation on the basic principles of mutual discussion, mutual construction and mutual sharing.
Entering its fourth year, the initiative has made great progress and entered the phase of practical cooperation.
“The purpose of holding this forum in Beijing is to collect the intelligence of all parties involved, summarize the successful experiences, plan the new trajectory and create this cooperation platform that will open a new chapter for the initiative,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at a press conference in Beijing on April 18.
Also slated to attend the Forum are representatives of some 80 organisations including United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim, and International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde.
