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The China proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has brought the vision of “heart connectivity” to reality, and it is a path to common development, multiple ambassadors and officials from BRI partner countries said on Wednesday during a roundtable held in Fuzhou, East China’s Fujian Province.

“The BRI has brought changes in the mind of the world,” said Bishnu Pukar Shrestha, Ambassador of Nepal to China, noting that the initiative focuses on connectivity, not only in transportation, but also in minds and hearts.

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“This vision and concept have now become possible to access,” Shrestha continued. Nepal has benefited a lot from the BRI, and there are different projects that have been completed in Nepal, including railways and roads, which have energized bilateral cooperation and allowed the country to continue to develop, he said.

Shrestha made the remarks during a roundtable on the Belt and Road Global Chambers of Commerce and Association Conference, which is the world’s first international cooperation and exchange platform with chambers of commerce, industry associations and other social organizations as the main participants. The conference, which is held annually, aims to harness the resources of chambers of commerce as the BRI cooperation advances, and to explore new international cooperation opportunities.

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“The BRI gives an opportunity to the world that is connected now, and the potential for the initiative is unlimited,” Awale Ali Kullane, Somali Ambassador to China, said during the roundtable, noting that the COVID-19 pandemic has delayed the process, but it has also shown the importance of such a global initiative.

Kadirkamu Kandasamy Yoganaadan, chargé d'affaires of Sri Lanka’s Embassy in China, enumerated a number of infrastructure construction projects under the BRI including ports, airports and expressways. Taking the Colombo Port project as an example, Yoganaadan said that it is being built with the modern sustainable design and smart city concept, providing investment opportunities in the IT industry, financial services and shipping logistics.

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“The BRI has generated many direct and indirect job opportunities in Sri Lanka, and we are expecting more direct investment flows. Sri Lanka is among the countries ready to join the second phase of the BRI,” Yoganaadan noted.

Minister of Economic Affairs of the Embassy of Malaysia in China Unny Sankar Ravi Sankar said that China has been Malaysia’s largest trade partner for 14 consecutive years and the biggest source of foreign direct investment as well. The two countries have established two industrial parks under the BRI, and more projects are expected next year, he said.

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Minister of Economic Affairs of the Embassy of Pakistan in Beijing, China Aslam Chaudhary said that Pakistan is among the first countries that joined the BRI.

“During the last 10 years, we added 2,500 kilometers of motorways to the existing network of rural transportation and added 10,000 megawatts of generation capacity to the national grid. We also added 4,000 electricity transmission lines to the existing network,” Chaudhary noted.

Chaudhary added that the major focus of the BRI during its first 10 years has been cooperation between countries to build infrastructure, promote economic development and investment. In the second phase, business-to-business collaboration will become increasingly important.

Ahmed Chouaib, chargé d'affaires of the Mission of the League of Arab States in Beijing, said that Arab countries participating in the BRI are demonstrating a high degree of engagement with China. This initiative represents the power of international cooperation, a power of interconnectivity that crosses national and ethnic boundaries.

Chouaib noted that strengthening people-to-people communication between China and Arab countries has also become an integral part of the BRI, and cultural, tourism and artistic cooperation have all emerged.

The BRI is a symbol of unity between China and Arab countries. As well as building roads and bridges, it can also create more interconnected, prosperous and harmonious cooperation, said Chouaib.

来自“一带一路”伙伴国的多位大使和官员11月22日在中国东部福建省福州市举行的圆桌会议上表示，中国提出的“一带一路”倡议倡议将“心连心”的愿景变为现实，这是一条共同发展的道路。

尼泊尔驻华大使比什努·普卡尔·什雷斯塔（Bishnu Pukar Shrestha）表示：““一带一路”倡议改变了世界的思维。

“这个愿景和概念现在已经成为可能，”Shrestha继续说道。他说，尼泊尔从“一带一路”倡议中受益匪浅，尼泊尔已经完成了包括铁路和公路在内的不同项目，这些项目为双边合作注入了活力，使该国得以继续发展。

Shrestha是在一带一路全球商会和协会会议圆桌会议上发表上述言论的，该会议是世界上第一个以商会、行业协会和其他社会组织为主要参与者的国际合作与交流平台。该会议每年举行一次，旨在随着“一带一路”合作的推进，利用商会的资源，探索新的国际合作机会。

索马里驻华大使Awale Ali Kullane在圆桌会议上表示：“一带一路倡议为现在相互联系的世界提供了一个机会，该倡议的潜力是无限的。”他指出，新冠肺炎疫情推迟了这一进程，但它也表明了这一全球倡议的重要性。

斯里兰卡驻华大使馆临时代办Kadirkamu Kandasamy Yoganadan列举了“一带一路”倡议下的一些基础设施建设项目，包括港口、机场和高速公路。Yoganadan以科伦坡港口项目为例表示，该项目正以现代可持续设计和智慧城市理念建设，为it行业、金融服务和航运物流提供投资机会。

Yoganadan指出：“‘一带一路’倡议在斯里兰卡创造了许多直接和间接的就业机会，我们预计会有更多的直接投资流入。斯里兰卡是准备加入‘一带一步’倡议第二阶段的国家之一。”。

马来西亚驻华大使馆经济事务部长乌尼·桑卡尔·拉维·桑卡尔表示，中国已连续14年成为马来西亚最大的贸易伙伴，也是最大的外国直接投资来源国。他说，两国在“一带一路”倡议下建立了两个工业园区，预计明年还会有更多项目。

巴基斯坦驻北京大使馆经济事务部长Aslam Chaudhary表示，巴基斯坦是首批加入“一带一路”倡议的国家之一。

Chaudhary指出：“在过去的10年里，我们在现有的农村交通网络中增加了2500公里的高速公路，并在国家电网中增加了10000兆瓦的发电能力。我们还在现有网络中添加了4000条输电线路。”。

Chaudhary补充说，“一带一路”倡议最初10年的主要重点是各国在基础设施建设、促进经济发展和投资方面的合作。在第二阶段，企业对企业的协作将变得越来越重要。

阿拉伯国家联盟驻北京代表团临时代办艾哈迈德·乔伊卜表示，参与“一带一路”倡议的阿拉伯国家正表现出与中国的高度接触。这一倡议代表了国际合作的力量，一种跨越国家和族裔界限的相互联系的力量。

Chouaib说，加强中阿人文交流已成为“一带一路”倡议的重要组成部分，文化、旅游、艺术等领域合作不断涌现。

“一带一路”倡议是中阿团结的象征。Chouaib说，除了修建道路和桥梁，它还可以创造更多相互联系、繁荣和和谐的合作。