DPAD mission to Beijing

Hamid Rashid and Pingfan Hong took a scoping mission to Beijing on 20-24 June, as part of the DESA capacity development project funded by RPTC on “macroeconomic implications of the Belt and Road Initiative”, in cooperation with the State Information Centre of China. The Executive Secretary of ESCAP also sent Hamza Malik to join the mission. The project is intended to promote the Belt and Road Initiative for contributing to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, through a study of macroeconomic implications of the Initiative and the policy options for the countries along the Belt and Road and the world as a whole, in the broad context of the three dimensions of sustainable development.

[caption id="attachment_12237" align="alignleft" width="203"] Meeting with Mr. Tan, Deputy Director-General, Department of International Economic Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Focal Point for the Belt and Road[/caption]

During the mission, the team held intensive meetings with a number of government agencies and other institutions, including (1) Ministry of Foreign Affairs (two separate meetings: a team meeting with the Focal Point for the Belt and Road and his team, and Pingfan’s meeting with the First Deputy Minister, H.E. Yesui Zhang); (2) National Development and Reform Commission (two separate meetings: one with the Department of the International Cooperation, and another with the Department of the Western Region Development, which is directly responsible for the policies of the Belt and Road); (3) The State Information Centre (a think tank of the National Development and Reform Commission and a long-time partner of the DESA Expert Group on the World Economy (Project LINK)); (4) Beijing Municipal Development and Reform Commissions; (5) China Development Bank; (6) Tsinghua Unigroup Co. (a high tech company); (7) Silk Road Chamber of International Commerce; and (8) UNDP China.

[caption id="attachment_12240" align="alignright" width="300"] Meeting with Mr. Du, Executive Vice President, State Information Centre of China[/caption]

The different perspectives of these meetings deepened the team’s understanding of the Belt and Road Initiative. The team shared with these agencies and institutions two main points: (1) the five priority areas for international cooperation as defined in the Belt and Road are closely linked to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, and the Belt and Road can make an important contribution to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda; (2) the project on “macroeconomic implications of the Belt and Road” can provide a useful macro framework and policy options for the decision-making of the Governments and businesses in the countries along the Belt and Road. Our counterparts in those meetings agreed in principle with these views and made some constructive suggestions.

By the end of the mission, the team reached agreement with the State Information Centre on the work plan for the project.