Belt and Road information platform launched

An online platform was launched Thursday in Beijing to better meet the increasing information demand from Belt and Road member economies and to further encourage the free sharing of economic information.

Initiated by the Xinhua News Agency, the platform, named BRInfo, is part of the Belt and Road Economic Information Partnership (BREIP), a project joined by 30-plus agencies, information service providers and associations from more than 20 countries and regions across the globe.

By creating a sound international communication system for economic information, the partnership aims to eliminate information asymmetry and provide guidance and services for all parties involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, said Cai Mingzhao, president of the Xinhua News Agency.

BREIP will promote policy coordination, the connection of facilities, unimpeded trade, financial integration and people-to-people bonds, attract more countries and regions to participate in the Belt and Road construction, build a new cooperation platform and add new impetus to common development, Cai said.

According to the organization, BREIP members are obliged to provide publishable economic information, including research results concerning investment, trade, industry, projects and enterprises to BRInfo for sharing, and at the same time enjoy the rights to use the content on the platform, free of charge.

Member institutions can exchange their own proprietary information and support each other in communications, self-operated information product agency, and customized analysis and research, as well as special consultations, so as to drive the development of the BREIP.

"The significance of information sharing among BRI members should be given more attention as the initiative has been gaining popularity in the global community," said Alfred Schipke, IMF senior representative for China, "BRInfo should be a platform established to achieve that goal."

The platform will serve users using various technologies, including artificial intelligence, big data and a user behavior analysis system, according developers.