Roughly 150 international representatives from political, business and academic sectors recently gathered at a forum in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, to explore how to bolster high-quality Belt and Road cooperation through people-to-people exchange.

The Belt and Road Forum on People-to-People Connectivity, hosted by the Western Returned Scholars Association, featured keynote speeches and three parallel sessions.

Ding Zhongli, president of the association, delivered the opening address on Friday, wherein he emphasized the forum's aim to leverage the unique strengths of internationally educated individuals in bridging China and the world. He encouraged them to continue sharing compelling narratives about the Belt and Road Initiative and foster cultural exchange and mutual learning between China and other countries.

During his keynote speech, Ong Tee Keat, president of the Belt and Road Initiative Caucus for Asia Pacific, highlighted the importance of people-centric approaches in Belt and Road projects.

"Reaching out to the local community through Corporate Social Responsibility programs, like hosting local festive celebrations and charity-centric handouts to the under-privileged, by the Chinese State-owned enterprises means a great deal to the local community," Ong said.