African leaders arrive in Beijing for third Belt and Road Forum

Some 130 leaders from Africa, South America and other emerging markets are gathering in China for a meeting organized by the Chinese government that will mark the 10th anniversary of its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Denis Sassou N'guesso of The Congo, Ethiopia's Abiy Ahmed and Nigeria's Kashim Shettima arrived Monday (Oct. 16) in Beijing.

Other leaders who arrived on Monday included Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Papua New Guinean Prime Minister James Marape and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet.

Chilean President Gabriel Boric and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on Sunday. Others are coming on Tuesday.

The summit kicking off on October 17th, is the third Belt and Road Forum for international cooperation.

The BRI is a plan that China launched a decade ago. Under the initiative, a signature policy of president Xi Jinping, Chinese companies have built infrastructures including ports, roads and power plants around the world in a bid to boost trade and economic growth.

One decade down the line, some observers say the Initiative may be losing steam as Beijing becomes more averse to risk and as the domestic economy struggles to bounce back to pre-pandemic growth levels.

The main events of the two-day meeting are scheduled on Wednesday. Global organizations will also be in attendance.