Chinese Ambassador to Cuba Ma Hui recalled at the event that 2,000 years ago the land route connecting Asia, Europe and Africa, along with its maritime route linking the East and the West, opened a new window of friendly exchanges among several countries.

“President Xi Jinping proposed in September and October 2013 in Kazakhstan and Indonesia, respectively, the Belt and Road Initiative that envisages building the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road,” the ambassador added.

He assured that over the past decades the project has focused on facilitating political dialogue, infrastructure, free trade, capital movement, integration among peoples, as well as deepening cooperation and mutual understanding among civilizations.

He explained that the Belt and Road Initiative has attracted more than 150 countries and 32 international organizations, has generated nearly one trillion dollars in investments, developed more than 3,000 projects and lifted nearly 40 million people out of poverty.

The diplomat exemplified with projects such as the China-Kazakhstan Logistics Cooperation Base (Lianyungang) turned into an important hub for Kazakhstan’s exports to the Asia-Pacific region, and the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed train in Indonesia that will greatly improve local transportation and logistics.

He stressed that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative, has had fruitful results, while the Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone, jointly built by China and Egypt, created job opportunities for more than 50,000 Egyptians.

The diplomat noted that in Latin America and the Caribbean, the photovoltaic solar park in the Mariel Special Development Zone, the China-Ecuador free trade agreement and the enlargement of the expanded foreign exchange swap agreement between China, and Argentina have been built to solve development issues.

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