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China hopes for Russia’s active participation in Belt and Road Forum — embassy

China’s Charge d’Affaires in Russia Sun Weidong pointed out that the Russian leadership reiterated its support for the initiative

MOSCOW, September 20. /TASS/. China hopes for Russia’s active participation in the Belt and Road Forum, scheduled for October, China’s Charge d’Affaires in Russia, Sun Weidong, said.

"China has extended a cordial invitation to Russia and hopes for the active participation of Russian friends," he said at the presentation of the website dedicated to China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

"I am convinced that the forum will be an important platform to further facilitate Russia-China relations and unite the powerful forces of the international community to stand up for international justice," he said.

The diplomat pointed out that the Russian leadership reiterated its support for the Belt and Road Initiative. Also, Sun Weidong praised the high level of relations between Moscow and Beijing.

"China-Russia relations are at their historic peak. Strategic relations between the two countries have significantly strengthened and cooperation continuously expands in all areas," he concluded.

It was previously reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin had accepted Chinese President Xi Jinping’s invitation to visit the forum.

The Belt and Road Initiative, proposed by Xi Jinping in 2013, aims to symbolically recreate the ancient Silk Road. The goal is for China to access markets in Central Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Africa and other regions, as well as to intensify international trade and investment projects involving a large number of nations along with the use of Chinese and foreign capital. Over 150 countries and international organizations have already joined the initiative.

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