China enhances cooperation with B&R countries despite COVID-19

BEIJING — China has seen resilient cooperation with the Belt and Road (B&R) countries facing the impact of COVID-19, the country's top economic planner said on Nov 17.

China has signed 201 B&R cooperation documents with 138 countries and 31 international organizations, Meng Wei, a spokesperson for the National Development and Reform Commission, told a press conference.

In the first three quarters of the year, China's trade with B&R countries totaled about $963.42 billion, and its non-financial direct investment in these countries surged by 29.7 percent year-on-year to reach $13.02 billion, Meng said.

The China-Europe freight rail service network bucked up, with a total of 10,180 trips made as of November 5, said Meng, adding that nearly 8 million parcels of medical supplies have been delivered via the China-Europe freight trains this year.

Major B&R projects, including the China-Laos railway, China-Thailand railway, Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway, and Hungary-Serbia railway are making positive headway, Meng said.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, China has played its role as the world's largest supplier of anti-pandemic goods, providing over 280 batches of emergency materials to more than 150 countries and international organizations, Meng added.