A China-Europe freight train departs from Zengcheng, Guangzhou of South China"s Guangdong Province heading toward Europe via Korgos in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on January 1, 2026. The train is the first China-Europe freight train departing from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in 2026. Photo: VCG

　　China has entered the period of local two sessions in recent days, during which multiple localities have intensively outlined key priorities for the construction of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in 2026, with tasks including strengthening cooperation on a wider scale, accelerating "going global" efforts, and achieving further progress in the China-Europe Railway Express.

　　Over the past decade, especially during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), the BRI has made solid and substantial accomplishments, becoming a widely welcomed public good and a major practical platform for advancing the building of a community with a shared future for humanity, experts said. They noted that the high-quality development of the BRI during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-30) will make greater contributions to the world amid unprecedented changes unseen in a century.

　　Priorities outlined

　　The fifth session of the 14th Guangdong Provincial People"s Congress kicked off in Guangzhou on Monday. The provincial government work report highlighted that Guangdong will expand high-level opening-up, demonstrate greater effectiveness in serving and integrating into the new development paradigm, serve as a base, a platform, and a channel to ensure the smooth operation of domestic and international dual circulation, and act as a national hub for high-level opening-up, local media outlet Guangzhou Daily reported on Monday.