The 3rd Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) Cities International Forum, themed “High-Quality Silk Road Cooperation A New Era for Global Commerce”, was successfully held in the city of Yiwu, located in the eastern province of Zhejiang. 

The hosts are the Chinese People’s Institute of Foreign Affairs (CPIFA), Renmin University of China (RUC), and Yiwu Municipal People’s Government. The forum is organized by Yiwu China Commodity City Holding Co., Ltd and Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China (RDCY), co-organized by Yiwu Institute for Market Development Studies (YIMDS).

Focused on the BRI and cooperation, the forum brought together distinguished guests including key stakeholders, government officials, and business leaders from around the world to discuss and promote the shared goals of connectivity, trade, and sustainable development.

Zhang Donggang, Chair of the University Council, Renmin University of China (RUC), delivered a speech. Zhang Donggang shared three expectations for Yiwu: to promote global development cooperation, deepen mutual learning of global civilizations, and improve global security governance. RUC will accelerate the construction of the BRI Business School, and work together with Yiwu to make more contributions.

According to the report, the forum featured engaging panel discussions, keynote addresses, and networking sessions. Prominent figures from academia, government, and industry delivered insightful presentations, emphasizing the importance of international cooperation in building a more interconnected and prosperous future. 

Participants presented include Danilo Türk, Former President of Slovenia and former UN Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Yin Yanlin, Deputy Director of the Economic Affairs Committee of the CPPCC, Grzegorz W. Kolodko, Former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of Poland, Chen Wenling, Chief Economist of China Center for International Economic Exchange (CCIEE), Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Chairman of Senate Defence Committee, ONG Tee Keat, Former Deputy Speaker of House of Representatives of Parliament, Siyabonga C. Cwele, South African Ambassador to China and so on.