One Belt, One Road international forum
Vladimir Putin spoke at the opening of the One Belt, One Road international forum in Beijing.
Russian President has arrived in China on a two-day visit.
May 14, 2017
05:20
Beijing
With participants of the One Belt, One Road international forum.
The forum that is taking place in the Chinese capital is being attended by a number of heads of state and government, presidents of large international organisations, specifically top officials of 28 countries, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Gutteres, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde and World Bank President Jim Yong Kim. The forum brought together over 1,000 participants.
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Speech at the One Belt, One Road international forum
President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr President Xi Jinping, heads of state and governments, colleagues, ladies and gentlemen,
It is a great honour for me to participate in the opening ceremony of the One Belt, One Road international forum. President Xi Jinping informed us about his plans to hold such a representative event back in September at the Russian-Chinese summit in Hangzhou. Of course, we supported this initiative immediately.
Possible concepts for the forum were presented even earlier. Without a doubt, these plans allow for discussion of the huge Eurasian continent’s future in an extended format. Our continent is the home of great civilisations. Peoples of diverse cultures and traditions have lived alongside each other and engaged in trade for centuries.
As you know, the famous Silk Road that once connected almost all of Eurasia ran from one oasis to another, from one water well to another. In the well-known Chinese book, I Ching, with its elaborate language, the well is a symbol of vitality that brings people together to communicate with each other, build trust, connections and friendships.
This historical experience of cooperation and mutual understanding is just as important to us in the 21st century at a time when the world is facing very serious challenges and threats. We have exhausted many former models and indicators of economic development.
In many countries the concept of a social state, coined in the 20th century, is now in crisis. These days, it is not only unable to ensure the steady growth of people’s wealth but can hardly maintain current levels of growth.
The risks of a disrupted global economic and technological space are becoming increasingly obvious. Protectionism is becoming a common practice that manifests itself in unilateral illegitimate restrictions, including how technology is supplied and distributed. The ideas of openness, freedom of trade are often rejected even by those who supported them so vigorously in the past.
The disparity in socioeconomic development and the crisis the globalisation model finds itself in are fraught with negative consequences both for relations between states and for international security.
Poverty, lack of financial security, and the massive gap in the level of development between countries and regions all fuel international terrorism, extremism and illegal migration.
We will not be able to tackle these challenges unless we overcome this stagnation in global economic development.
