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BEIJING, April 22-- Six years on, the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative has delivered tangible benefits to all participating countries and regions, taking shape as a new solution to imbalanced global development and a road toward a brighter future for humanity. A report published Monday elaborated on the progress, contributions and prospects of the Belt and Road Initiative. The document, compiled by the office of the leading group for promoting the Belt and Road Initiative, came in ahead of the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation to be held from April 25 to 27 in Beijing. SOLID PROGRESS The Belt and Road Initiative, proposed by China in 2013, aims at building a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient Silk Road trade routes to seek common development and prosperity. So far several solid steps have been taken. -- A broad consensus has been reached. Its core concepts have been written into documents from the United Nations, G20 and APEC. By the end of March 2019, China had signed 173 cooperation agreements with 125 countries and 29 international organizations. -- Infrastructure connectivity has been enhanced. Six major economic corridors connect the Asian economic circle with the European economic circle. The number of China-Europe freight trains surpassed 14,000 by March. -- Unimpeded trade has been promoted. A network of free trade areas has taken shape, with goods trade between China and other Belt and Road countries reaching 1.3 trillion U.S. dollars in 2018, up 16.4 percent year on year. | 
