China must protect its overseas interests related to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) amid growing global risks, President Xi Jinping said on Monday.
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Speaking at a working conference on BRI projects, Beijing’s sprawling effort to build out a global infrastructure and trade network that connects to China, Xi warned that the international environment has become “tough and complicated”.
“In recent years, the world has entered a new period of turbulence and change, with a significant rise in unilateralism and protectionism, and regional conflicts and upheavals have become frequent,” Xi told the meeting.
“Against such circumstances … it is necessary to appropriately respond to various risks and challenges, effectively overcome the impact of geopolitical conflicts, correctly address the relationship between enhancing the sense of gain of the partner countries [of BRI] and ensure the benefits to our country, and effectively safeguard the security of our overseas interests,” he said.
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Xi added that there are still more opportunities than challenges in promoting the BRI, despite the more challenging environment.
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“We must strengthen our strategic confidence, maintain our strategic determination and have the courage to take on responsibilities,” he said, calling for an improvement in BRI project risk control and a mechanism to protect the interests of host countries.