B&R adds 200,000 foreign jobs

China's outbound investment in economies participating in the Belt and Road Initiative climbed to some$70 billion between 2014 and 2017, providing more than 200,000 jobs for local people, according to a former top government official.

Zhang Xiaoqiang, former vice-chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission, made the comments at a recent forum. He said the initiative also saw China's foreign trade with Belt & Road-related economies hit more than $4 trillion between 2014 and 2017. In 2017 alone, the figure hit $1.1 trillion, accounting for 26.5 percent of the country's total.

The Belt and Road Initiative, referring to the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, was initiated by President Xi Jinping in 2013, to promote economic cooperation among economies along the proposed Belt and Road routes, and further open markets in a mutually beneficial manner.