So, this is already a huge flop even before it began.
It's understood. Why would any self respecting country spread their legs to Chinese?
If one notices it closely, most the ones which are actively participating are the ones which are dependent on China while most of the ones that are giving a pass are the ones which China needs to actually makes these roads profitable.
At this time OBOR is a political initiative rather than an economic initiative.
Belt and Road Attendees List
May 12, 2017
Below, find a list of confirmed attendees at China’s Belt and Road Forum, to be held in Beijing May 14-15. Sources are hyperlinked wherever possible; entries without hyperlinks are based on statements provided to
The Diplomat.
- Afghanistan: Unspecified minister-level delegation
- Argentina: President Mauricio Macri
- Australia: Trade Minister Steve Ciobo
- Azerbaijan: Economy Minister Shahin Mustafayev
- Bangladesh: Unspecified minister-level delegation
- Belarus: President Alexander Lukashenko
- Brazil: Secretary for Strategic Affairs Hussein Ali Kalout
- Cambodia: Prime Minister Hun Sen
- Chile: President Michelle Bachelet
- China: President Xi Jinping
- Czech Republic: President Milos Zeman
- Egypt: Trade and Industry Minister Tarek Kabil
- Ethiopia: Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn
- Fiji: Prime Minister Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama
- Finland: Minister of Transport and Communications of Finland Anne Berner
- France: Jean-Pierre Raffarin, chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations, Defense and Armed Forces in the French Senate
- Germany: Minister of Economic Affairs Brigitte Zypries
- Greece: Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras
- Hungary: Prime Minister Viktor Orban
- Indonesia: President Joko Widodo
- Iran: Minister of Economy and Finance Ali Tayebnia
- Italy: Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni
- Japan: LDP Secretary General Toshihiro Nikai
- Kazakhstan: President Nursultan Nazarbayev
- Kenya: President Uhuru Kenyatta
- Kyrgyzstan: President Almazbek Atambayev
- Kuwait: Minister of the Amiri Diwan Affairs Sheikh Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber
- Laos: President Bounnhang Vorachith
- Malaysia: Prime Minister Najib Razak
- Maldives: Economic Minister Mohamed Saeed
- Mongolia: Prime Minister Jargaltulga Erdenebat
- Myanmar: State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi
- Romania: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Environment Gratiela Gavrilescu
- Nepal: Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara
- New Zealand: Science and Innovation Minister Paul Goldsmith
- North Korea: Confirmed to be sending an official delegation; the delegation will be led by Kim Yong-jae, the North Korean minister of external economic relations, according to a number of South Korean media reports
- Pakistan: Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif
- Philippines: President Rodrigo Duterte
- Poland: Prime Minister Beata Szydło
- Russia: President Vladimir Putin
- Saudi Arabia: Minister of Energy, Industry, and Mineral Resources Khalid Al-Falih
- Serbia: Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic
- Singapore: Minister for National Development and Second Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong
- South Korea: Ambassador to China Kim Jang-soo; Park Byeong-seug, National Assembly member for the Democratic Party
- Spain: Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy
- Sri Lanka: Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe
- Switzerland: President Doris Leuthard
- Syria: unspecificed minister-level delegation
- Thailand: five ministers: Minister of Foreign Affairs Don Pramudwinai, Minister of Transportation Arkhom Termpittayapaisith, Minister of Commerce Apiradi Tantraporn, Minister of Digital for Economy and Society Pichet Durongkaveroj, and Minister of Science and Technology Atchaka Sibunruang
- Tunisia: Culture Minister Mohamed Zine El-Abidine
- Turkey: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
- UAE: Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of State and Group CEO of ADNOC
- Ukraine: unspecified official delegation
- United Kingdom: Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond
- United States: Matt Pottinger, National Security Council senior director for Asia
- Uzbekistan: President Shavkat Mirziyoyev
- Vietnam: President Tran Dai Quang
Who Is Actually Attending China's Belt and Road Forum?
Which countries are sending officials to China’s big international summit?
By
Shannon Tiezzi
May 12, 2017
It’s almost here — after months of emphasis from Chinese government officials and state media, the Belt and Road Forum will open in Beijing on May 14. The two-day forum is dedicated to President Xi Jinping’s signature foreign policy project, the Belt and Road Initiative (also known as “One Belt, One Road” after its two main components: the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road).
China has touted the forum as the major international event of the year, with 29 heads of state or government to be in attendance (along with, of course, Xi himself). International organizations will be well-represented too, with UN Secretary General António Guterres, President of the World Bank Jim Yong Kim, and Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund Christine Lagarde all set to attend.
Chinese media has also highlighted the level of global interest by citing the number of countries to be represented: up to 130 in the most recent publications. Yet that figure, and the earlier 110 countries, should
not be taken as a count of states sending official delegations, though it’s sometimes implied that way.
According to Xinhua, “More than 1,200 people will attend the forum scheduled for mid-May, including officials,
scholars, entrepreneurs, representatives of financial institutions, and media organizations from 110 nations [emphasis added].” In other words, if the
New York Times is sending a reporter, China is counting the United States in that “110 (now 130) nations” figure.
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So, which countries are
actually sending official delegations to the Belt and Road Forum? It’s a difficult question to answer, as there’s no comprehensive list.
The Diplomat has attempted to pull together a list of confirmed attendees, but even this should not be taken as comprehensive. Not all embassies and foreign ministries returned requests for comment as of publication time, meaning some countries’ level of participation could not be confirmed. For example,
Xinhua says “
nearly 20” Latin American and Caribbean countries will be sending ministerial-level delegations;
The Diplomat could not confirm which countries, however. In other words, just because a country is not colored in on the map does not necessarily mean it’s not participating in an official capacity.
The Diplomat will continue to update as more responses come in. In the meantime, check out the entire list in text form, with sources,
here. At current count,
The Diplomat has confirmed official representatives from 57 countries, counting China.
http://thediplomat.com/2017/05/who-is-actually-attending-chinas-belt-and-road-forum/