BEIJING, October 18. /TASS/. Beijing opposes unilateral sanctions and the policy of economic coercion, President Xi Jinping said during the opening ceremony of the One Belt - One Road forum in Beijing.

"We oppose unilateral sanctions, the policy of economic coercion, disintegration and disruption of ties," the Chinese leader said.

According to Xi Jinping, the joint effort to implement the Belt and Road initiative focuses on mutual aid and promotes mutual ties and mutually beneficial cooperation.

In his opinion, ideological conflicts, geopolitical confrontation and bloc-type confrontation are unacceptable.

The third Belt and Road forum is taking place in Beijing on October 17 and 18, with over 4,000 participants from more than 140 countries in attendance. Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived as the chief guest of the event.

The Belt and Road initiative is a concept Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed in 2013 with the aim to intensify multilateral trade and investment projects with the participation of countries concerned and Chinese and foreign capital. More than 150 states and more than 30 international organizations have already joined it.