DUBAI, Nov. 25 (Xinhua) -- The third NEXT Summit, themed "Options at the Crossroads," started in Dubai on Monday to explore opportunities for international cooperation.
This summit is co-hosted by the Auckland-based NEXT Federation, an international platform for exploring and sharing optimal practices of international collaboration, China Economic Information Service (CEIS) of Xinhua News Agency and the Dubai Department of Economic Development (DED).
Speaking at the summit, Ban Ki-moon, former secretary-general of the United Nations, said the international community must redouble efforts to forge solutions to today's great challenges.
"Such challenges are inherently global. Thus, sustainable solutions must be born out through multilateral cooperation and synergized by partnership. And this is particularly true in today's era," Ban said in his keynote speech at the summit.
The China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was also frequently mentioned by the speakers.
Under the current international circumstances, the BRI undoubtedly functions as a stabilizer for the world's economy and also plays an important role in promoting the world's economic growth and the achievement of the UN sustainable development goals, said Wu Hongbo, China's special representative for European affairs.
Mohammed Shael al Saadi, CEO of the Business Development & Strategy Sector in the DED, pointed out that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is an important participant in the BRI while Dubai has made extensive cooperation with China under the framework of BRI in fields of entrepot trade, cargo transportation, agriculture and others.
Xu Yuchang, board chairman and president of CEIS, noted that the BRI aims to build a community with a shared future for mankind and promote global common prosperity.
Since its inception six years ago, more and more countries have responded actively to the BRI, Xu said.
At the summit, CEIS released a report that showed achievements of China-UAE economic and trade cooperation and analyzed the opportunities of cooperation between the two countries under the BRI and the UAE Vision 2021.
More than 500 representatives of governments and enterprises from China, New Zealand, Indonesia, the UAE, Egypt and other countries and regions attended the summit.
The first NEXT Summit was held in Auckland, New Zealand in 2017, followed by the second in Hangzhou, China, in 2018.
CEIS is the main body responsible for the integrated management and operation of economic information business of Xinhua News Agency.
