On 16 December 2018 (the Belt and Road International Day), the inauguration ceremony and the first meeting of the Advisory Council of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (hereinafter referred to as the Advisory Council) was held in Beijing. It is a non-profit and international policy advisory body, whose main function is to provide intellectual support for the development of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. During its establishment, the Chinese side fully listened to the opinions of all parties, informed embassies of various countries in China of relevant information, and announced the list of members after obtaining the consent of all members of the Advisory Council.
The members of the Advisory Council comprise former political leaders from relevant countries, heads of international organizations, business leaders and renowned scholars in relevant fields, who participate in the activities of the Advisory Council in their personal capacity. Current members include Romano Prodi, former Prime Minister of Italy and former President of the European Commission; Jean-Pierre Raffarin, former Prime Minister of France; Ahmed Nazif, former Prime Minister of Egypt; Igor Ivanov, former Foreign Minister of Russia and Chairman of the International Affairs Council; Mari Pangestu, former Minister of Trade, Tourism and Creative Economy of Indonesia; Noeleen Heyzer, former Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific; Erastus Mwencha, former Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission; Douglas Flint, HM Treasury Special Envoy for Belt and Road Finance and Professional Services of the United Kingdom; Kishore Mahbubani, former Dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore; Alicia Bárcena, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (invited guest); Justin Yifu Lin, former Vice President of the World Bank and Honorary Dean of the National School of Development, Peking University; Zhang Jun, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs, among others.
Members spoke highly of the Belt and Road Initiative and positively evaluated the progress of relevant international cooperation. They held that jointly building the Belt and Road is conducive to fostering an open world economy, promoting sustainable development of all countries and addressing global challenges. Members suggested that all parties continue to follow the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, take infrastructure connectivity as the main thread, strengthen practical cooperation in various fields, deliver more early harvest results, support the implementation of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and achieve interconnected and common development.
