Information Silk Road given lift

China is looking to accelerate the creation of an "information Silk Road" between countries encompassed by the Belt and Road Initiative, a high-level Chinese official told an international forum on Monday.

Cui Yuying, vice-minister of the State Council Information Office, said the plan is needed to break down communication barriers between Asian and European nations. The initiative is meant to join these areas and others through investment and trade.

Cui spoke at the Forum of Ministers Responsible for Information during the Fifth China-Eurasia Expo held in Urumqi, the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.