The 2021 Belt & Road Trade and Investment Forum was held on Dec. 2 in Beijing to discuss building a digital, healthy, and green Silk Road. 

The forum aimed to advance economic recovery through openness and cooperation. It provided an interdisciplinary platform for government officials, business representatives, and eminent entrepreneurs to pool wisdom and exchange insights regarding the digital economy, anti-pandemic collaboration, and low-carbon development. 

Co-hosted by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) and China Chamber of International Commerce (CCOIC), the forum consisted of an opening ceremony, a keynote speech, and three separate panel discussions focused on the digital economy, health, and green development, respectively.

Zhang Shaogang, vice chairmanof CCPIT, stated at the opening ceremony that the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) features equality, openness, mutual trust, and shared benefits to improve people's well-being. 

In his keynote speech, Gu Shengzu, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), noted that promoting the Belt and Road cooperation is a systematic project that entails all parties' participation, including governments, enterprises, and other social sectors. He also hailed the business community as the mainstay of BRI cooperation. "Practical collaboration among enterprises holds the key to materializing the great vision of the BRI."

Among other speakers, President of the Bank of China (BOC) Liu Jin introduced the BOC's financial support to the BRI. Meanwhile, Malaysian Ambassador to China Raja Dato' Nushirwan Zainal Abidin emphasized China-Malaysia economic cooperation and expressed hopes for further engagement. 

The panel discussion of the digital Silk Road was attended by Wang Jiye, deputy chief information officer of the State Grid Corporation of China, Cheng Jing, vice president of public affairs of Alibaba Group, Daryl Guppy, president of the Northern Territory chapter of the Australia China Business Council and other guests. They talked about digital infrastructure and the digital business environment, big data, cloud computing, the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, and blockchain. They also discussed relevant rules and standards to boost the digital economy along the Belt and Road. 

During the healthy Silk Road discussion, Shi Shengyi from China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm) said that Sinopharm had provided anti-pandemic supplies to about 150 countries in the world, including one billion doses of vaccines. In addition, she stated, it had also supplied nucleic acid test reagents and medical equipment to countries along the Belt and Road and helped construct hospitals there.

Ding Yongling, vice general manager of the renowned traditional Chinese medicine company Beijing Tongrentang (TRT)Co., Ltd., explained how TRT had brought traditional Chinese medicine overseas and developed specific drugs for various foreign countries to treat COVID-19 cases based on local conditions. 

The speakers also voiced concerns about the legal problems regarding overseas medicine registration and the certification of traditional Chinese ingredients and called for mutual understanding and learning for people's everyday health.

While discussing the green Silk Road, Guyana's Ambassador to China Anyin Choo underscored that Guyana's commitment to low-carbon development could bring a host of opportunities for China-Guyana cooperation in fields like infrastructure construction. 

"Guyanese President Irfaan Ali launched the national consultations for Guyana's Low Carbon Development Strategy 2030," said Choo. As a result, Choo added, Guyana will invest in a new energy mix including natural gas, hydropower, solar power, and wind power. 

President of China Galaxy Financial Holdings Company Limited Li Mei highlighted that the company has set up several green funds and invested in around 20 projects along the Belt and Road to galvanize green development.

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