This photo taken on March 30, 2023 shows the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2023 in Boao, south China's Hainan Province. (Xinhua/Zhang Liyun)

Song Hailiang firmly believes in the benefits of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), viewing it as a path of development, win-win cooperation and hope for all those involved.

In an interview with Xinhua during the annual conference of the Boao Forum for Asia, in south China's Hainan Province, Song, board chairman and executive director of China Energy Engineering Group Co., Ltd. (Energy China), said that the decade-old BRI will bring broader consensus, wider development space and more brilliant achievements in the future.

"This year marks the 10th anniversary of the China-proposed BRI, and I hope that countries and regions along the Belt and Road can ensure substantive, steady, sustained and high-quality development and usher in a brighter future of BRI cooperation," he said.

Energy China is a comprehensive conglomerate that provides holistic solutions and full-chain services in areas such as power and infrastructure to China and the world as well.

The company has been actively practicing the concept of green and low-carbon development, and building infrastructure projects such as dams, roads and bridges around the world, Song said.

He noted that the company has done business in more than 140 countries and regions across the world, with more than 100,000 employees engaged in international businesses. To date, contracts with a value of over 500 billion yuan (about 72.76 billion U.S. dollars) have been signed along the Belt and Road.

"Our business along the Belt and Road has been deeply integrated into the construction of energy and power infrastructure," he said, listing several large-scale infrastructure projects, such as a hydroelectric power plant in Argentina, a seawater desalinization plant in the United Arab Emirates, and a gas-fired combined cycle power plant and a 1-GW wind power project in Uzbekistan.

In terms of public well-being projects, Song mentioned a maternity medical center that the company built in Kenya last year.

"There was a lack of maternity facilities and delivery rooms in the past. Local residents had to go to a hospital more than 40 km away. Thanks to the new center, women and infants can receive better medical services," Song explained.

China and countries along the Belt and Road are working together to develop a high-quality green Silk Road, and pursue green and low-carbon development by increasing investment in green energy, he said.

He said that the company has completed a variety of green, low-carbon and high-quality projects overseas, which not only promote local employment but also help other countries achieve new energy targets. "More efforts should be made to strengthen cooperation in the fields of green infrastructure, energy and finance," he said.

"We remain committed to pursuing international cooperation following the principles of localization, marketization and internationalization. I have full confidence in the future, and believe that the BRI will enjoy sound development in the long run," Song added.