中, '일대일로' 정상포럼 개시

China is hosting a forum on its Belt and Road project, the foreign policy initiative China says will build infrastructure and promote trade to help countries in Asia, Europe and Africa realize their potential.
Vladimir Putin is one of the leaders at the forum, and South Korea has sent its finance minister.
But the U.S. is sending only low-level officials.
Seo Bo-bin has this report.
Beijing is hosting 37 heads of state and government for the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation.
Some 5-thousand global leaders from international institutions and business sectors are also attending the 3-day forum.
South Korea has sent Finance chief Hong Nam-ki, who will discuss how to boost cooperation with China.
Amidst the U.S.-China trade spat, the forum aims to promote Chinese leader Xi Jinping's grand geopolitical strategy, dubbed the "project of the century", to strengthen trade routes from China to Southeast Asia, Central Asia, Europe and Africa.
This year's forum is also seen as a chance to build legitimacy for the Chinese leadership and the Chinese Communist Party.
And Beijing,... is also looking to use the event to convince the international community of the value of the ambitious and controversial "One Belt, One Road" initiative.
Seo Bo-bin, Arirang News.