Libya expresses willingness to join Belt and Road Initiative

Wang Qimin (L), Charge d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy to Libya, meets with Libya's UN-backed Deputy Prime Minister Ahmed M'etig in Tripoli, Libya, April 16, 2018. Libya's UN-backed Deputy Prime Minister Ahmed M'etig on Monday revealed that Libya desires to develop its economy by joining in the Belt and Road Initiative at a meeting with Wang Qimin, Charge d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy to Libya. (Xinhua/Hamza Turkia)

TRIPOLI, April 16 (Xinhua) -- Libya's UN-backed Deputy Prime Minister Ahmed M'etig on Monday revealed that Libya desires to develop its economy by joining in the Belt and Road Initiative at a meeting with Wang Qimin, Charge d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy to Libya.

"China is a country with great and important political and economic weight in the world," said M'etig, stressing the importance of developing the Libyan-Chinese relations in various fields and working on the return of Chinese companies to Libya to complete the suspended projects.

He also confirmed that Libya is willing to provide security guarantees in the return case, and expressed his desire to develop the national economy and reconstruction of Libya by joining the Belt and Road Initiative.

The Belt and Road Initiative, which includes the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, aims to build trade and infrastructure networks linking Asia to Europe and Africa along the trade routes of the ancient Silk Road.

Wang reiterated that the return of Chinese companies to Libya is linked to improved security situation, noting that Beijing will encourage Chinese companies to return as soon as Libya regains stability.

Wang on Sunday met with Khaled al-Meshri, the newly-appointed head of the Libyan Higher Council of State, and discussed China's support for Libya's political settlement according to the UN-proposed action plan.