Saying that almost 1.2 billion people in nearly 70 countries are affected by COVID-19 as well as food, energy and debt crises, Xi called on countries to participate in the Global Development Initiative to accelerate the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and to forge a united, equal, balanced and inclusive global development partnership.

He expressed his concerns about a possible world economic crisis against the backdrop that some important industrial and supply chains are suffering from deliberate disruptions, commodity prices remain high and are fluctuating, global inflation keeps rising, the international financial market is in turmoil, and global economic recovery is losing steam.