Mohammed bin Rashid heads UAE delegation to the Roundtable Summit at Belt & Road Forum in Beijing

Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum headed the UAE delegation to the Roundtable Summit for the states and governments participating in the 2nd Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation held in the Chinese capital Beijing.

In his opening speech, the Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed the heads of states and governments taking part in the event and focused on the importance of advancing joint collaboration to ensure the success of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) with emphasis on openness, transparency, and balanced distribution of opportunities. President Jinping also highlighted the need to strengthen communication channels between BRI partner countries. 

President Jinping also called on BRI partner countries to work together and broaden the scope of cooperation in developing the standards for sustainable development taking into consideration the environment and the welfare of humanity as per the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030.

Furthermore, the Chinese President called for continued prioritisation of action, including cooperation in the areas of intelligent manufacturing and the digital economy to support innovation-based development efforts. He also called for greater opening of markets, facilitation of trade exchanges, ending of protectionism measures, support for investment, and positive contributions to improving quality of life.

The Chinese president stressed the importance of concerted efforts in developing new mechanisms for cooperation and creating a vision for the future of joint work within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative to ensure the integration of its objectives with global development efforts at all levels.

A number of heads of states and governments participating in the roundtable meeting addressed the efforts of China in promoting international cooperation and the ambitious goals of the Belt and Road Initiative, stressing the importance of expanding cooperation.

The UAE delegation to the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing included His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group; HE Mohammad Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and the Future; HE Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy; HE Dr. Anwar Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs; HE Reem bint Ibrahim Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation; HE Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of State; HE Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Executive Affairs Authority the Managing Director and Group Chief Executive Officer of the Mubadala Investment Company; HE Khalifa Saeed Sulaiman, Director General of Dubai’s Protocol and Hospitality Department; and HE Dr. Ali Obaid Al Dhaheri, the UAE Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China