Beijing, Apr 26 (UNI) China on Friday vowed to make its Belt and Road Infrastructure project more transparent amid international criticism that the connectivity programme is a "debt trap" for poorer nations,
He called for internationally acceptable standards in public bidding and tendering process and said there would be "zero tolerance" of corruption in BRI projects.
“In pursuing Belt and Road cooperation everything should be done in a transparent way and we should have zero tolerance for corruption,” Xi at the second BRI forum for international cooperation here in the presence of some 40 heads of states and representatives of over 100 international organisations,
“We welcome the participation of the multilateral and national financial institutions in BRI investment and financing.
"And we encourage third market cooperation. With the involvement of the multiples stakeholders, we can surely deliver benefits to all," Xi said.
Unveiled in 2013, the BRI project seeks to connect Asia, Africa and Europe through a network of highways, rail lines and sea lanes.
India had earlier turned down for the second time an invitation to attend the BRI event. The country is opposed to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a key component of the BRI, that passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, violates its sovereignty.
The CPEC connects the Chinese city of Kashgar with Pakistan’s Gwadar port on the Arabian Sea.
UNI SRJ