Xi Jinping to attend Beijing "Belt and Road" Forum

On Wednesday, 11 October, the Chinese government announced that Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the opening ceremony of the Third "Belt and Road" Forum for International Cooperation to be held in Beijing on 17-18 October.

According to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying, the Chinese leader will deliver a speech and hold a welcome banquet for foreign leaders and heads of international organisations attending the meeting during the opening of the forum.

According to Hua Chunying, the theme of the forum will be "High-quality cooperation under the "Belt and Road": together towards common development and prosperity", as reported by teleSUR, a partner of TV BRICS.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said that Russian President Vladimir Putin will represent the Russian Federation. In total, representatives from 130 countries will meet in Beijing next week.

The event marks the 10th anniversary of the "Belt and Road" international cooperation initiative, which has awarded more than two trillion US dollars worth of contracts worldwide, according to an official document released on Tuesday.