State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi presided over a high-level video conference on Belt and Road international cooperation in Beijing on June 18.

Foreign ministers and other ministerial officials, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the World Health Organization, and Achim Steiner, head of the UN Development Program, also attended the conference.

Wang said that the Belt and Road Initiative has become a top international cooperation platform, thanks to cordial participation and support from all parties.

To conquer the COVID-19 epidemic, Wang said, all nations should work hand in hand, and strategic partners of the Belt and Road are obliged to spearhead the cooperation.

Efforts should be made to strengthen cooperation in public hygiene, step up interconnection, conduct innovative cooperation, unswervingly oppose unilateralism and protectionism, and promote more open, inclusive, balanced, and win-win development of economic globalization, he said.

The battle against COVID-19 and economic resurrection are the most pressing task of the whole world to date, Wang stressed.

China is willing to prioritize communication and coordination with Belt and Road cooperation partners and jointly build the Belt and Road Initiative into a platform of cooperation, health, resurrection, and growth.

Attendees highly praised China’s initiative to hold the video conference and extended their gratitude for China’s efforts and contributions to promoting the joint establishment of the Belt and Road Initiative and international COVID-19 prevention.

They said the epidemic proved the significance of building a community with a shared future for mankind, and all stakeholders should beef up solidarity and cooperation, oppose stigmatization and politicization, and support multilateralism and the significant role of WHO.