China invites Britain to attend new Silk Road summit

BEIJING/LONDON: China has invited British Prime Minister Theresa May to attend a major summit in May on its ‘One Belt, One Road’ initiative to build a new Silk Road, diplomatic sources told Reuters, as London said she would visit China this year.

‘One Belt, One Road’ is Chinese President Xi Jinping’s landmark programme to invest billions of dollars in infrastructure projects including railways, ports and power grids across Asia, Africa and Europe.

China has dedicated US$ 40 billion to a Silk Road Fund and the idea was the driving force behind the establishment of the US$ 50 billion China-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

China has so far given few details about who will attend the summit, to be held in Beijing.

The country’s top diplomat, State Councillor Yang Jiechi, told the official China Daily last week that leaders from about 20 countries have confirmed their participation, representing Asia, Europe, Africa and Latin America, though he did not give names.

One Beijing-based diplomatic source with direct knowledge of the invite list told Reuters that May was among the leaders who had been invited.

“China is choosing the countries it sees as friends and who will be most influential in promoting ‘One Belt, One Road’,” said the source, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Two other diplomatic sources confirmed May was on the invite list.

“It’s China’s most important diplomatic event of the year,” one of the sources told Reuters.

China’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether it had invited May.

Sri Lanka has already confirmed its prime minister is coming, and China says Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is also attending. Foreign leaders often combine attendances at important multilateral events China is hosting with official state visits to China. — Reuters