Recently, the International Department of the CPC Central Committee hosted the China-Southeast Asian and South Asian Countries Political Parties Belt and Road Joint Consultation Conference via video link. Song Tao, Minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, attended the conference and delivered a keynote speech. Over 100 leaders and representatives of more than 40 political parties and social organizations from Southeast Asian and South Asian countries attended the conference, including Mahinda Rajapaksa, leader of Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna party and Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Ganesh Prasad Timilsina, Chairman of the Federal Parliament of Nepal and leader of the Nepal Communist Party (Unified Marxist-Leninist), Lodewijk Freidrich Paulus, Secretary General of Partai Golongan Karya and Deputy Speaker of the People's Representative Council of Indonesia, Wee Ka Siong, Malaysian Minister of Transport and President of Malaysian Chinese Association, and Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Chairman of Pakistani Senate Defence Committee and senior leader of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.

According to Song Tao, General Secretary Xi spoke highly of the fruitful results of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) cooperation and chartered the course for high-quality BRI cooperation in his speech delivered at the third symposium on the development of the BRI As Southeast Asia and South Asia are important regions of BRI, the Communist Party of China has developed the Belt and Road political parties joint consultation mechanism between China and countries in the two regions, contributing to further BRI development and pragmatic cooperation in various fields.

The participating guests echoed the statement. They also said that amid the raging Covid-19 pandemic, the Belt and Road cooperation has been growing against all odds, which provides important impetus for their region in maintaining the status as a pacesetter in global development and enhancing economic resilience, and brings strong confidence to the economic recovery of various countries and the world at large.

During the conference, Song Tao also briefed the guests on the preparation work of Beijing Winter Olympic Games and wished the athletes from Southeast Asian and South Asian countries good results.

Political leaders from various countries said that they believed Beijing Winter Olympic Games would be a spectacular sports event and hoped that the Games would serve as an important platform promoting the solidarity of the world.

"Fourteen years after the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, the Olympic cauldron will once again be lit in Beijing. What an exciting moment!" said Ananda Pokharel, member of the Central Committee of the Nepal Communist Party (Unified Marxist-Leninist), in an interview ahead of the meeting.

Mushahid Hussain Sayed, who attended the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, said that winter sports athletes from countries around the world would gather in China to compete with each other and share the happiness of the Chinese New Year when the Games start, which is the best manifestation of Olympic Spirits.

(Reporter: Bai Xin)