Editor's note: President Xi Jinping delivered a keynote speech themed "Building an Open, Inclusive and Interconnected World For Common Development" at the opening ceremony of the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation on Wednesday. The Belt and Road Initiative cooperation extends from the Eurasian continent to Africa and Latin America, and more than 150 countries and over 30 international organizations have signed BRI cooperation documents. Experts share their views on the speech with China Daily. Excerpts follow:

Building a community with a shared future for mankind

For the past decade, the projects, achievements and influence of the Belt and Road Initiative have spread to all corners of the world. During the time, the growth of the initiative has been in stark contrast to some of the political trends such as trade protectionism, anti-globalization, and "decoupling" or "de-risking" initiated by Western leaders.

The West's frequent attempt to restrict the development path of developing countries, mainly in the name of "national security", has affected the growth of the global economy. Should the world believe in the West's claim, the global economy would fall into a trough and the international situation would become more turbulent.

The world wants peace and development, and individual countries' choice of development path should be respected. Countries around the world, especially the Global South, need to strengthen their cooperation and unity to jointly boost global economic development so people all over the world can share the fruits of development.