BEIJING, August 31. /TASS/. China will hold the 3rd summit on international cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative in October in Beijing. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin announced this at a briefing on Thursday.

"China will host the 3rd Belt and Road International Cooperation Summit in Beijing in October this year, which will be an important platform for developing cooperation under this initiative," the official said.

Yury Ushakov, an aide to President Vladimir Putin, said in July that the Russian leader could visit China in October. Later, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that a tight schedule for exchanging visits with China was being worked out at all levels, but it was too early to name the date of Putin's trip to that country.

The 1st Belt and Road Forum was held in Beijing in May 2017 with the participation of top officials from Russia, China and 28 countries of Eurasia, Africa and Latin America. The 2nd forum took place in the Chinese capital in April 2019.

Chinese President Xi Jinping launched the Belt and Road initiative in 2013. It symbolically recreates the ancient Silk Road. Its goal is China's entry into the markets of Central Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Africa and other regions, as well as the intensification of international trade and investment projects involving a larger number of countries and the use of capital from interested states. More than 150 countries and international organizations have already joined the initiative.