Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, attends the opening ceremony of The Belt And Road - The Great Wall International Folk Culture and Arts Festival in Langfang, north China's Hebei Province, Sept. 15, 2021. Yang also met with envoys of relevant countries to China and representatives of international organizations. (Xinhua/Yue Yuewei)

SHIJIAZHUANG, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Senior Chinese official Yang Jiechi on Wednesday attended the opening ceremony of The Belt And Road - The Great Wall International Folk Culture and Arts Festival in Langfang, Hebei Province, calling for strengthening people-to-people exchanges among Belt and Road countries.

Yang, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, also met with envoys to China of relevant countries and representatives of international organizations.

Yang said that Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated in his congratulatory letter to the festival that China is willing to work with other countries to jointly build the Belt and Road, and to promote the progress of human civilization.

Since the Belt and Road Initiative was proposed by Xi eight years ago, China and Belt and Road countries have kicked off a large number of cooperation projects that benefit the people, fostering an all-round interconnection partnership and forging a new bond of exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations.

Yang called for carrying forward the spirit of the Silk Road, deepening exchanges and mutual learning, strengthening people-to-people exchanges, expanding opening-up and cooperation, and contributing cultural and artistic strength to the joint construction of the Belt and Road.

Agapito Mba Mokuy, chairperson of the Executive Board of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, said President Xi put forward the joint construction of the Belt and Road with foresight and solid determination, which aims to promote the sustainable development and people-to-people and cultural exchanges in regions along the Belt and Road.

It is a great undertaking, and the Silk Road spirit will surely contribute precious wealth to the development of human civilization, Mokuy said. Enditem