UNITED NATIONS — China’s Belt and Road Initiative can contribute to the implementation of a United Nations (UN) facilitated sustainable development agenda, which aims to end poverty and promote prosperity, said UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Wu Hongbo on April 11.

The Belt and Road 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 and promote common development among all countries involved.

The initiative offers “great potential” for advancing the agenda through economic growth, trade opportunities, job and income generation, infrastructure building and capacity building, said Wu at a high-level discussion held at the United Nations.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by UN member states in 2015 and officially came into force in 2016, outlines 17 goals relating to poverty, energy, industrialization, infrastructure and global partnership.

At the discussion, Jeffrey Sachs, an American economist and professor at Columbia University, said the sustainable development means smart economies with technology deployment, social inclusion and environmental sustainability.

Sachs said smart and fair investment, sustainable energy system, social inclusion and technology development are key factors that can make China’s Belt and Road Initiative a success.

Addressing the meeting, China’s permanent representative to the UN Liu Jieyi said Tuesday that both the Belt and Road Initiative and the 2030 Agenda strengthen global partnership and embrace common development.

“The Belt and Road Initiative is proposed by China but owned by all participating countries,” said Liu, adding that the initiative is to share China’s development opportunities and to achieve common prosperity.

“Openness, inclusiveness and mutual benefit are the hallmarks of the initiative and the source of its strong support,” said Liu.

“Extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits are the guiding principles that the initiative follows,” he added.