MACAO, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- The 11th International Infrastructure Investment and Construction Forum (IIICF) kicked off in China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) Wednesday, attracting more than 400 entities and 1,000 political, business, and academic representatives.
In the welcome speech at the opening ceremony, Macao SAR Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng said that this year's IIICF would usher in potent impetus for the recovery of Macao's economy.
With the full support of China's central government and cooperation of the Macao SAR government, this forum has become a pivotal platform for Macao to participate in the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area cooperation, the chief executive added.
China's Vice Commerce Minister Wang Bingnan said in his speech that due to the pandemic, economic globalization faced a countercurrent, resulting in heightened risk aversion and impact on international infrastructure investment and construction.
However, the dominant trend of accelerating infrastructure investment and construction through international cooperation would not change, Wang added.
The chairman of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Authority Asim Saleem Bajwa said that CPEC was a major pilot project of the Belt and Road Initiative. Over the past five years, there were 22 construction projects under the framework of CPEC, covering roads, railways, airports, thermal power, hydropower, renewable energy, Gwadar Port, special economic zones and other areas.
In face of the novel coronavirus, all CPEC projects have been moving forward, bringing hope for a future of peace and economic growth, he added.
More than 400 entities and 1,000 political, business, and academic leaders have been invited to the two-day event for issues such as the opportunities and challenges faced by international infrastructure cooperation, and the trends of the international infrastructure market in the post-pandemic era.
The first day of the forum had sub-forums such as "Outlook on International Infrastructure Development in Post COVID-19 Era" and "Jointly Promoting International Infrastructure Development in a Steady Progress", and the 6th China-Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) Infrastructure Forum.
The Belt and Road Infrastructure Development Index (2020) and the Annual Report on Belt and Road Infrastructure Development Index (2020) were also released on the first day of the forum. Enditem
A single purchase
