International Committee of the Red Cross keen to participate in Belt and Road construction

BEIJING, April 19 (Xinhua) -- The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is keen to participate in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) for partnership on humanitarian assistance, a senior ICRC official has said.

Jacques Pellet, personal envoy of the ICRC President for China, spoke to Xinhua ahead of the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation to be held from April 25 to 27 in Beijing.

Stating that China's global influence was growing very fast, Pellet said the ICRC wanted to connect more with China, not only in Beijing, but also in other places where it works.

"The ICRC has been working in many countries along the Belt and Road. When we first learned about the initiative, we found it very important to look at," he said.

Pellet said that the ICRC was also eager to bring its perspectives and working experiences in humanitarian assistance into countries affected by conflicts along the Belt and Road.

"My wish is that, by working together, by focusing on development, and by supporting humanitarian assistance, we can step by step overcome humanitarian challenges faced by these countries," he said.

Pellet also commends China for its greater responsibility in carrying out UN peacekeeping missions globally.

As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China today participates in global affairs "in many places, including places where conflict and violence exist and where the ICRC is working," he said.

China first participated in UN peacekeeping missions in 1990, when five military observers were sent to Syria. Since then, China has contributed the largest number of troops to UN peacekeeping missions and the second largest share to the UN peacekeeping budget.

"We see the efforts China has spent in peacekeeping is growing very fast, and we want to strengthen our cooperation with Chinese peacekeepers," he added.

The BRI, which refers to the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, aims to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe, Africa and beyond.