China is hosting a banquet to welcome delegates of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. President Xi Jinping will address the guests later.

A total of 29 heads of state and government are due to attend the forum, the highest-profile international meeting on the Belt and Road since President Xi proposed the initiative in 2013.

Earlier in the day, Xi delivered a keynote speech at the opening ceremony, saying that China hopes to achieve "a new model of win-win cooperation" and create "a big family of harmonious co-existence."