Connectivity, mutual benefit, common development, cooperation and win-win outcomes in focus as leaders from across the globe gather in Beijing, while the event also offers an opportunity for exchanges in a wide range of fields

President Xi Jinping (center) and other leaders attending the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation pose for a group photo before the forum's opening ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Wednesday. FENG YONGBIN/CHINA DAILY

Foreign leaders attending the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation applaud at the forum's opening ceremony in the Great Hall of the People on Wednesday. ZHANG YAO/FOR CHINA DAILY

Peng Liyuan (third from left), wife of President Xi Jinping, meets children from the Dong ethnic group from Guizhou province along with the spouses of foreign leaders, when visiting the China National Arts and Crafts Museum on Wednesday in Beijing. YIN BOGU/XINHUA

Guests talk on the sidelines of the forum at the Great Hall of the People on Wednesday. ZOU HONG/CHINA DAILY

A foreign journalist conducts a live broadcast at the opening ceremony of the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation on Wednesday in Beijing. CHINA DAILY

Attendees arrive at the China National Convention Center in Beijing after the opening ceremony of the Belt and Road Forum. ANDY WONG/AP