US delegates to attend China's Belt and Road forum

The US will send delegates to attend the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing scheduled for May 14-15, an official said.

The US "recognises the importance" of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and it will send delegates to attend the forum, a statement issued by the US Commerce Department on Thursday night said.

At the upcoming forum, all parties will identify major cooperative projects, set up working groups and establish an investment cooperation centre, Xinhua news agency reported.

They will also sign financing agreements to support their cooperative projects.

During a meeting at the Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida last month, Chinese President Xi Jinping told his US counterpart Donald Trump that Beijing welcomes Washington's participation in the Belt and Road Initiative.

Currently, more than 100 countries and international organisations have voiced their support for the Belt and Road Initiative, among which more than 40 have signed cooperation agreements with China.

The Belt and Road Initiative, proposed by China in 2013 and comprising the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, aims to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along, and beyond, the ancient Silk Road trade routes.

--IANS

ksk/dg