Guests listen carefully on the speech delivered during the China International Musical Instruments Expo and the second Belt and Road Commercial and Cultural Exchange Forum, which took place in Bengbu, East China's Anhui province, from Dec 1 to 2. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

"I am proud of the BRI because it provides a platform for Chinese people to contribute to the shared growth of global communities and embrace the core values of Chinese culture," Zhou added.

2018 marks the 40th anniversary of China adopting the reform and opening-up policy. In 2018, China successfully held the China International Import Expo.

"The expo brought together participants from 172 countries, regions and international organizations, including countries where many of our guests here are from," Zhou said. "This year, the expo attracted 3,600 foreign exhibitors and saw over 400,000 Chinese business representatives engage in negotiations and sign contracts. The BRI is China's way of reaching out to the world, whereas the CIIE is a way of inviting the world in. Both of them aim to build a 'community of shared future.'"