"The theme for this year’s event, which has been held since 2013, was “Building the Belt and Road, Realising Our Vision for a Community with a Shared Future”. “China wants to join hands with ASEAN for cooperation, construction, mutual benefits, building, trade facilitation and people-to-people understanding. We want to cooperate in infrastructure upgrading too. We are trying to have closer China-ASEAN relationships,” said Chinese Vice Premier and a member of the standing committee of the political Bureau of the Communist of China (CPC) Central Committee Han Zheng in his opening speech at the event. China will start construction work for Belt and Road Initiative in 2021. The project, a global development strategy adopted by the Chinese government involving infrastructure development and investments in 152 countries and international organisations in Asia, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and the Americas, was proposed by China’s President Xi Jinping in 2013, and has so far garnered the supports of 152 countries. The main goal for the project is for China to promote trade and economic cooperation between the countries of the world by forming an economic corridor stretching from east to west. During held Belt One Road Forum in Beijing in April, leaders from more than 30 countries signed BRI cooperation agreements. Representatives from more than 150 countries and 90 international organisations also signed more than 280 agreements valued at more than US$64 billion in connection with the initiative..."