STORY: 10 yrs of BRI cooperation: beginning of a big story | Sunny's Spotlight
DATELINE: Oct. 18, 2023
LENGTH: 00:03:06
LOCATION: Beijing
CATEGORY: POLITICS/ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of China National Convention Center
2. STANDUP (English): SUNNY ZHOU, Xinhua correspondent
3. various of China National Convention Center
4. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): TAMER KAMAL AYOUB BICHAI, Galaxia Group
5. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): RUPERT VARNAI, CEO, Cathay Partners
6. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): AHMET FARUK ISIK, Burger King (China) Holding Co., Ltd.
7. SOUNDBITE 4 (English): VADIM SMIRNOV, Deputy CEO, Petroleum Industry of Serbia, NIS a.d. Novi Sad
8. SOUNDBITE 5 (English): RUPERT VARNAI, CEO, Cathay Partners
9. SOUNDBITE 6 (English): AHMET FARUK ISIK, Burger King (China) Holding Co., Ltd.
10. SOUNDBITE 7 (English): DONOVAN CHIMHANDAMBA, President & CEO of NYANZA Light Metals
11. SOUNDBITE 8 (English): VADIM SMIRNOV, Deputy CEO, Petroleum Industry of Serbia, NIS a.d. Novi Sad
12. SOUNDBITE 9 (English): AHMET FARUK ISIK, Burger King (China) Holding Co., Ltd.
13. SOUNDBITE 10 (English): FAMANDA GIDEON NGWENYA, FGN CONSTRUCTION AND PLANT HIRE CC
14. SOUNDBITE 11 (English): VADIM SMIRNOV, Deputy CEO, Petroleum Industry of Serbia, NIS a.d. Novi Sad

STORYLINE:

STANDUP (English): SUNNY ZHOU, Xinhua correspondent
"From ideas into actions, from a vision into reality, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has delivered real gains to participating countries. At the ongoing third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF), insiders have shared their views on the high-quality BRI cooperation."

Why has the BRI been so popular?

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): TAMER KAMAL AYOUB BICHAI, Galaxia Group
"I think that the Belt and Road is the future of international cooperation. Every year we find more countries coming in and joining because everybody believes that this is one of the best forums that can lead to prosperity for a lot of countries."

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): RUPERT VARNAI, CEO, Cathay Partners
"It's quite obvious. I think China is playing a more and more significant role in the development of the world. I don't think that anyone would like to miss out."

SOUNDBITE 3 (English): AHMET FARUK ISIK, Burger King (China) Holding Co., Ltd.
"(The) BRI is a very common platform for many countries to forge cooperation and up to now it's already been 10 years, a decade already. The cooperation, they will reach a momentum, therefore inspires more countries to involve."

SOUNDBITE 4 (English): VADIM SMIRNOV, Deputy CEO, Petroleum Industry of Serbia, NIS a.d. Novi Sad
"Because (of) the power of this project (initiative), this project (initiative) brings goodness. It's (people)-oriented and brings prosperity, not only this part of the world but everywhere."

What major changes has the BRI brought to the world?

SOUNDBITE 5 (English): RUPERT VARNAI, CEO, Cathay Partners
"I think the main critical element is the understanding of the bridge-making. It's not only an economic issue. It's a cultural issue as well. More and more people understand what benefits this can bring to the whole world, not only to China."

SOUNDBITE 6 (English): AHMET FARUK ISIK, Burger King (China) Holding Co., Ltd.
"I might say the people-to-people connection has really changed after the Belt and Road Initiative. Because first, if you need to have deeper trade ties, you also need people-to-people connections that bring more business, mutual cooperation."

SOUNDBITE 7 (English): DONOVAN CHIMHANDAMBA, President & CEO of NYANZA Light Metals
"It's brought in the technology and capacity that we didn't have. (The) BRI is giving us the ability to move a project forward with speed."

SOUNDBITE 8 (English): VADIM SMIRNOV, Deputy CEO, Petroleum Industry of Serbia, NIS a.d. Novi Sad
"I am very impressed when visiting a lot of African (countries). This (initiative) brings people prosperity, brings them high level of life. I would say this (initiative) is very kind and human-oriented."

What's your vision of future BRI cooperation?

SOUNDBITE 9 (English): AHMET FARUK ISIK, Burger King (China) Holding Co., Ltd.
"We can see that it's already changed from theory to practice. So we have many specific examples across the world. I'm quite optimistic for the future years of the BRI."

SOUNDBITE 10 (English): FAMANDA GIDEON NGWENYA, FGN CONSTRUCTION AND PLANT HIRE CC
"My expectation is that there will be better relationships between our country and other countries and to be inclusive in a common development for the world."

SOUNDBITE 11 (English): VADIM SMIRNOV, Deputy CEO, Petroleum Industry of Serbia, NIS a.d. Novi Sad
"This project (initiative) has lasted for 10 years, but I think this is only the beginning. It's the beginning of a big story with a happy ending, which will have significance for the whole world."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Beijing.
(XHTV)