WORKING TOGETHER TO PROMOTE PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE CONNECTIVITY AND CREATE A BRIGHT TOMORROW KEYNOTE SPEECH AT THE THEMATIC FORUM ON PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE CONNECTIVITY OF THE SECOND BELT AND ROAD FORUM FOR INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

SONG TAO

Minister, International Department,

Central Committee of Communist Party of China

Your Excellency Filipe Nyusi, President of the Republic of Mozambique,Distinguished guests,Ladies and Gentlemen,Friends,

Good Morning!

I am delighted to have you with us here in Beijing in this beautiful, refreshing season of spring at the Thematic Forum on People-to-People Connectivity of the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF). At the outset, on behalf of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, and all the co-organizers, I wish to extend our warm welcome to all of you for joining us at this event.

Six years ago, Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee and President of China, set out the important Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).Since then, we adhered to the principle of consultation and cooperation for shared benefits in promoting Belt and Road cooperation. This undertaking has drawn enthusiastic response and broad participation globally. To date,a total of 125 countries and 29 international organizations have signed BRI cooperation documents with China. As an important part of the BRI, people-topeople connectivity also serves as both the foundation and objective of Belt and Road cooperation. We are gratified to see that the past six years, especially the past two years following the thematic session on people-to-people connectivity of the first BRF, have witnessed remarkable progress in this area, which constitutes a unique contribution to the smooth implementation of the BRI.

First, the concept of people-to-people connectivity is gaining deeper appreciation.It has become a common understanding that mutually beneficial Belt and Road cooperation can only succeed on the basis of strong people-to-people bonds. Closer interactions between political parties, governments, businesses, media organizations, think tanks and social organizations of different countries are increasingly frequent in recent years. Over 300 social organizations have come together to form the Silk Road NGO Cooperation Network(SIRONET), which has enhanced synergy among civil society organizations.All these efforts contributed to stronger people-to-people connectivity and broader public support for the BRI. The International Silk Road Think Tank Association, with over 250 member organizations from China and BRI partner countries, regularly publishes the BRI people-to-people connectivity report,helping to raise public awareness of the concept and find solutions to relevant problems.

Second, the mechanism for peopleto-people connection keeps improving.Mechanism and platform are essential fordeepening people-to-people ties.Culture,tourism, education, and health authorities of various countries have devoted vigorous efforts to build platforms,improve services and encourage social involvement. Social organizations,universities, think tanks and medical institutions from China and partner countries have launched, among other mechanisms, Silk Road NGO Cooperation Network Forum, University Alliance of the Silk Road, Silk Road International Library Alliance, Silk Road International Alliance of Art Museums and Galleries, and networks for news cooperation and public health cooperation, providing strong support to peopleto-people connectivity.

Song Tao, Minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee delivered a keynote speech at the Thematic Forum on People-to-people Connectivity of the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation on April 25, 2019.

Third, fruitful outcome is on the rise in people-to-people connectivity.In the past six years, Chinese tourists have made over 100 million trips to Belt and Road partner countries. Tourists from these countries to China are expected to exceed 85 million by 2020. In 2017 alone,the number of students from partner countries studying in China exceeded 310,000, accounting for 64.8% of all international students in China. Youth exchanges and mutual visits have continued. Through the Silk Road Film and TV Project, a joint action of 70 plus countries and regions, more than 100 films and TV series have been translated, dubbed and aired. Thanks to the livelihood cooperation projects, more poor kids are attending schools, more cataract patients are getting treatment,and more people are getting access to clean drinking water. These projects have won praises from the governments and indeed all sectors of society of countries concerned.

The world today is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century.Whereas peace and development remain the call of the times, uncertainties and destabilizing factors are rising.Humanity faces quite many common challenges. As General Secretary Xi Jinping puts it, at the crossroads of human development, the direction countries should head for is to take mankind's destiny into our own hands, instead of waiting on the side line. In particular,we should work together to tackle the governance deficit, trust deficit, peace deficit and development deficit. The BRI is a key platform for advancing the building of a community with a shared future for humanity, and also an important mechanism for rising above common challenges and tackling the above four major deficits. To this end,we need to promote quality cooperation for the BRI, with a special focus on fostering closer people-to-people bonds. Our practice in the past six years has taught us that, winning people's support is the most important political imperative and people-to-people bond is the most profound, enduring and fundamental form of connectivity. In the face of the rising tendency of counterglobalization, populism, protectionism and extremism, people-to-people bond has taken on greater significance. It is even more imperative for us to act in a more proactive manner to enhance people-to-people connectivity through solid groundwork to ensure partner countries appreciate, understand and respect each other culturally so that more will join and support the BRI. In regard to this,we wish to propose the following:

First, we should promote the blending of cultures through exchanges and mutual learning. As was pointed out by General Secretary Xi Jinping, cultural exchanges and mutual learning constitute a valuable legacy of the ancient Silk Road. In the Belt and Road circle of friends, countries differ in their social systems, religious beliefs, and development models and philosophies. Yet, no civilization is superior to others. Hence the respect for civilizational differences,individual features of various cultures,specific development paths and models of countries forms the very foundation for people-to-people connectivity. We believe, different colors shine upon and add beauty to each other; different notes played together make a symphonic chord. To enhance people-topeople connectivity, we should treat each other with an open mind and in an inclusive manner, replace conflicts and confrontation with dialogues and exchanges, seek common development through mutual learning, and defuse estrangement and bias through mutual understanding. We should seek harmonious co-existence, foster close bonds and find common ground. Only in this way can Belt and Road cooperation gather momentum and move forward to bring prosperity to all; and only in this way can the building of a community with a shared future take root and bear fruits.

Second, we should promote the sharing of responsibility with an open and inclusive mind.It was enunciated by General Secretary Xi Jinping that openness brings progress, while self-seclusion leaves one behind. In the same vein, Belt and Road cooperation should, first and foremost,take openness as its orientation. The Belt and Road Initiative is a long-term,complex and systematic undertaking that requires extensive participation and joint efforts of diverse parties. To enhance people-to-people connectivity, we need to build consensus, leverage the advantages and roles of relevant parties particularly civil society organizations and private enterprises, and strengthen cooperation and synergy with multilateral institutions like the United Nations.In this way, governments and private actors can participate and play their due roles, and resource allocation can be optimized. We should also build bridges for dialogue and communication and channels for mutual understanding and mutual trust, so that everyone can pull together as participants in and contributors to people-to-people connectivity. What I want to stress is that,political parties are the fountainhead of domestic and foreign policies of their countries, and they also represent the will of the people and are leaders of public opinion. To promote people-topeople connectivity, the guiding role of political parties must be fully leveraged. Political parties and their leaders should, on the one hand, be sensitive to the popular will and translate people's legitimate demands into policies; and on the other, be capable of and good at shouldering responsibilities and guiding public opinion to garner support for people-to-people connectivity.

Third, we should upgrade cooperation in a pioneering spirit.As General Secretary Xi Jinping puts it, the Belt and Road Initiative is an unprecedented undertaking and we need to encourage innovation in pursuing this initiative. As Belt and Road cooperation enters a new phase,efforts to promote people-to-people connectivity need to move with the times.New breakthroughs call for new approaches and new measures. We should strengthen cooperation among partner countries in education, science and technology, healthcare, culture, sports,poverty alleviation, ecological conservation and other fields by building more cooperation platforms and channels,and unleashing the potential for peopleto-people engagements so that economic cooperation and cultural interactions can reinforce each other. Technological innovation should be given full play to in fostering closer ties among the people. We will work to build a multilayered, multifaceted and upgraded network that encourages stronger, more systematic, more extensive and more effective cooperation through the Internet.

Fourth, we should put people first and pursue shared benefits. The people-centred approach is the guiding principle for the entire membership of the Communist Party of China with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core and an inherent goal for the BRI. More than ever, the world is faced with unbalanced and inadequate development and a yawning global wealth gap. Against this backdrop, the BRI's role in bringing benefits to the people becomes more prominent. Greater people-to-people connectivity needs not only large intergovernmental programs but also small and useful ones engaging civil society organizations. More resources should be allocated to livelihood projects to address the most immediate issues that concern the people and to meet people's aspirations for a better life. When making plans for these programs, we should listen to people's ideas, understand their demands and work to deliver more tangible and accessible benefits to them.

After six years of laying the ground work for the Belt and Road Initiative, we now stand at a new starting point where everyone must pitch in to embrace an even bigger and brighter future. President Xi Jinping delivered an important speech at the opening ceremony of the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. We have every reason to believe that under the guidance of leaders of both China and Belt and Road partner countries, as long as we uphold the Silk Road spirit of peace and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning and mutual benefit and take solid steps with firm conviction, the Belt and Road Initiative in general and its people-to-people connectivity in particular will be more fruitful and deliver more benefits to peoples in all partner countries and around the world. I look forward to listening to your insightful input in the following proceedings of this event.