On October 17, the Belt and Road CEO Conference was held in Beijing. As the opening event of the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, the conference had the theme of “High-quality Belt and Road Cooperation: Together for Common Development and Prosperity”. Gao Yunlong, chairman of All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce (ACFIC), John Lee Ka-chiu, the chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and Zhang Yuzhuo, chairman of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC), delivered speeches. Ren Hongbin, chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), presided over the conference and issued the “Beijing Declaration of the Belt and Road CEO Conference” on behalf of the business communities. Eight Chinese and foreign business representatives from Standard Chartered Group, ACWA Power, Macao Chamber of Commerce, Harilela Group, China Merchants Group, Bank of China, China Energy Engineering Group Co., Ltd., and TBEA Group, delivered speeches respectively.
 
Gao Yunlong, chairman of ACFIC, said that entrepreneurs are important explorers and organizers of entrepreneurship and innovation, and important practitioners and promoters of the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). He expressed the hope that entrepreneurs will actively participate in high-quality Belt and Road economic and trade cooperation, continue to leverage the advantages of international production capacity cooperation, expand cooperation in new areas, create new economic growth points, and strive to enhance mutually beneficial cooperation, so as to inject new impetus into the opening-up and development of the world. Entrepreneurs are hoped to deepen high-quality cooperation in jointly building the BRI, seize the historic opportunity of the new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, establish closer cooperation partnerships in innovation, jointly deepen scientific and technological innovation, model innovation and business model innovation, strengthen digital empowerment and green development, and acceleration high-quality development. It is also hoped that they will actively participate in high-quality construction of the BRI, integrate the pursuit of business success with the social responsibility, improve corporate governance, undertake responsibilities, and benefit the people of all countries.
 
John Lee Ka-chiu, the chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, said that under the policy “one country, two systems”, Hong Kong enjoys the unique advantage of “relying on the motherland and connecting the world”. As Asia’s world city, Hong Kong is a major node of the BRI. Hong Kong is fully committed to providing high-quality professional support for enterprises and economies along the Belt and Road, including project financing, risk management, international law and dispute resolution, construction engineering, shipping logistics, innovation and technology, so that enterprises can get favorable support and achieve great success in participating in the Belt and Road projects. Hong Kong will actively integrate into the nation’s overall development, implement the concept of “win-win cooperation” of the Silk Road, and work with countries and enterprises jointly building the BRI to share the fruits.
 
Zhang Yuzhuo, chairman of SASAC, said that over the past 10 years, central enterprises have made positive responses, sustained investment and extensive deployment, and invested more than 5,000 cooperation projects in 140 countries with a cumulative investment value of more than $1 trillion. They have successfully built a number of major projects and landmark projects, making positive contributions to the historic achievements of the BRI. The SASAC and central enterprises will continue to deepen levels and expand areas to inject new vitality into the BRI. They insist on focusing on what is needed, giving full play to their strengths, creating a new benchmark for high-quality construction of the BRI, building a number of landmark projects with a wide range of radiation and strong driving effect, and building a number of “small and beautiful” and “beneficial and practical” projects with short construction cycles and good comprehensive benefits. They will continue to pursue innovation-driven development and industrial synergy, foster new growth drivers for high-quality co-construction of the BRI, deepen cooperation in frontier areas such as smart and manufacturing and the digital economy, and jointly explore new types of business, new technologies and new models.

Ren Hongbin, chairman of CCPIT, said that as the main force, practitioners and contributors to the construction of the BRI, the business communities of all countries have adhered to the principles of extensive consultation, joint contributions and shared benefits, upheld the philosophy of open, green and clean cooperation, focused on the goal of high-standard, people-centered and sustainable development, carried out pragmatic and mutually beneficial cooperation and achieved tangible results, making possible contributions to promoting global economic growth and improving people’s well-being. The BRI will surely bring new opportunities for China and the world in the future. On behalf of the business communities, Ren Hongbin issued the “Beijing Declaration of the Belt and Road CEO Conference”, emphasizing five key points: a commitment to open cooperation, deepening connectivity, promoting green development, advancing digital economic cooperation, adhering to compliance and fulfilling social responsibilities.
 

A signing ceremony for the BRI projects was held at the conference. The projects span 68 countries and regions and encompass various industries, including infrastructure, clean energy, artificial intelligence, biopharmaceuticals, financial services, modern agriculture and rail transportation. The number of projects, countries and regions involved, and the value of deals have notably surpassed those of the previous CEO conference, which fully demonstrates the fruitful results of the active participation of Chinese and foreign business communities in the international cooperation of the BRI and demonstrates the beautiful vision and firm confidence of contributing industrial and commercial forces to the high-quality construction of the BRI.
 　
The conference was co-organized by the CCPIT, the SASAC, and the ACFIC. More than 1,200 Chinese and foreign business representatives from 367 enterprises or institutions, relevant international organizations and economic institutions from 82 countries and regions attended this year’s conference.