China to hold high-profile Silk Road summit on May 14-15

China today said that it will host a mega Silk Road two-day summit starting May 14 as it launched a website highlighting a UN resolution referring to President Xi Jinping's pet initiative despite the disputed nature of one of its projects passing through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
The official website of the Belt and Road Initiative was launched offering information on investment policies and enterprises involved in the initiative, among other topics.
The website aims to offer information in several languages such as Russian, French, Arabic and Spanish, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
The initiative, proposed by China in 2013, aims to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient Silk Road trade routes, it said.

Officially termed as the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, the high-profile summit is scheduled to be held in Beijing from May 14 to May 15.
Elaborating on the structure of the meeting, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said that the forum will consist of round table and high-level meetings.

Over 20 world leaders and 50 heads of organisations and other ministerial levels will attend the forum, she said, adding that in all over 1000 delegates will take part.
The multi-billion 'One Belt, One Road' initiative is the official name of the Silk Road or the Belt and Road project.

It includes the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road to connect China with ports across the world as well as the USD 46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) - which passes through the PoK - and the Bangladesh, China, India and Myanmar Economic (BCIM) corridor.
The list of the leaders attending the summit would be released in due course, she told reporters here.
The scope of the attendance also shows the importance the international community attaches to the Belt and Road Initiative, she said, adding thatthe preparation is well underway and the website has officially been launched.
The next two months is going to be a tough task for Indian diplomacy as India is also among the invitees.

The summit has put India in a piquant situation as the CPEC which goes through PoK is the flagship project of the One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative.
India has protested to China over the CPEC - which connects western China's restive Xinjiang region with Pakistan's southern port of Gwadar through the PoK - and has reservations over the Maritime Silk Road as it impacts the Indian Ocean which is important to India's security interests.
Top Pakistani leaders were expected to take part in the May meeting.
Ahead of the summit China has managed to include OBOR in the UN Security Council resolution on Afghanistan passed on March 17.