UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addresses the opening ceremony of the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing, capital of China, Oct 18, 2023. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

BEIJING - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday said the Belt and Road Initiative provides historic opportunity while hailing its contribution to global infrastructure.

Addressing the opening ceremony of the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, the UN chief said that there can be no development without development support, and many developing countries will be starved of the infrastructure they desperately need.

Guterres said Belt and Road cooperation is an important exemplar of global development and cooperation, and is closely related to the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

"This is why this meeting and the Belt and Road (Initiative) are so important," he added.

"The Belt and Road (Initiative) demonstrates that we have historic opportunity to build more than green cities, communities and transportation and power systems," he said.

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"Together, with the contribution of the Belt and Road Initiative, we can turn the infrastructure emergency to infrastructure opportunity," said Guterres. 

Also on Wednesday, Chinese Vice-President Han Zheng met with Guterres and said that, as a firm supporter of and active contributor to the work of the UN, China is willing to align Belt and Road cooperation, the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative with the UN agenda more closely.

The efforts will yield greater practical outcomes and contribute to the building of a community with a shared future for humanity, Han said.

Guterres said Belt and Road cooperation is an important exemplar of global development and cooperation, and is closely related to the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

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The UN stands ready to strengthen cooperation with China to advance global peace and development, Guterres said.