Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc. (Photo: VNA)

According to a press release by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the trip will be made at the invitation of General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and President Xi Jinping.

Under the theme of "Belt and Road Cooperation, Shaping a Brighter Shared Future", twelve thematic forums will be held, focusing on policy, infrastructure, trade, financial and people-to-people connectivity, think-tank exchanges, clean silk road, digital silk road, green silk road, silk road of innovation, regional cooperation, and economic and trade cooperation zone promotion.

According to Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Chilean President Sebastian Pinera, Mongolian President Khaltmaa Battulga, Nepali President Bidya Devi Bhandari, Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and President of the Swiss Confederation Ueli Maurer will join this year's event and pay state visits to China respectively at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz will also visit China and take part in the BFR event, according to a daily briefing by China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on April 19 afternoon.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the opening ceremony and deliver a keynote speech, Wang said.

A total of 37 heads of state or government and other leaders from Austria, Egypt, Italy and Laos will attend the forum. France, Germany, the UK, Spain, Japan, South Korea and the EU will send high-level representatives to the forum.

In addition, President of Laos Bounnhang Vorachith will pay a state visit to China.

According to the National Development and Reform Commission of China, the country’s investment in projects related to the Belt and Road initiative has totalled 60 billion USD since 2013. Most of China’s upcoming overseas investments will be put towards the initiative’s member nations.

Once completed, the Belt and Road Initiative is expected to create a large economic and trade network, covering a region with 4.4 billion people and a combined GDP of 21 trillion USD./.

VNF