Personnel flow up between China, initiative participants

Personnel flow between China and other countries and regions involved in the Belt and Road Initiative rose by 31 percent between 2013, when the initiative was proposed, and last year, according to a big data report published on Monday.

The number of people traveling between China and other Belt and Road countries reached 26.5 million in 2017, a year-on-year rise of nearly 5 percent after consecutive increases in previous years, according to the report, published by the Research Center of the Belt and Road Initiative with the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.

The increase was higher between China and countries involved in the initiative, the report showed. Accumulated trips originating in China to the countries and regions involved in the initiative increased nearly by 39 percent from 2013 to 2017, compared with an increase of about 25 percent to countries and regions not involved in the initiative.