On April 24–25, the Council Meeting of the Belt and Road Tax Administration Cooperation Mechanism was held at the Belt and Road Tax Academy in Beijing. Senior officials from tax authorities of more than 20 countries and regions — including Nepal, the Maldives, Saudi Arabia, Gabon, and Georgia — as well as experts and scholars from international organizations, participated in the event. Participants held in-depth discussions on strengthening multilateralism, deepening international tax cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, and better serving global economic governance to support economic globalization.
Hu Jinglin, Commissioner of the State Taxation Administration of China, delivered an opening speech. He put forward three proposals for advancing the Belt and Road Tax Administration Cooperation Mechanism, promoting the principle of multilateralism, and fostering economic globalization:
- Expanding High-Quality Cooperation Based on Mutual Benefit: Strengthening coordination on tax policy and administration among countries within the framework of a shared future for humanity, providing greater certainty in taxation, and enhancing mutual gains through cooperation.
- Strengthening Tax Administration Capacity at a High Level: Reinforcing the role of the cooperation mechanism as a “bridge” and the Capacity Building Alliance for Tax Administration as a “think tank” to support capacity building in the tax field.
- Promoting Innovative Practices at a Higher Level: During the digital transformation process, developing a comprehensive, phased, and multi-dimensional system for tax administration and taxpayer services, while creating new and innovative cooperation platforms.
During the two-day meeting, participants comprehensively discussed innovative work plans for the Belt and Road Tax Administration Cooperation Mechanism for the 2025–2029 period. Senior tax officials from China, Cameroon, Tajikistan, the United Arab Emirates, and Indonesia also shared their experiences in strengthening tax administration and improving taxpayer services.
Launched by China in April 2019, the Belt and Road Tax Administration Cooperation Mechanism has now grown to 37 members and 31 observers with the latest addition of the Federation of German Industries. It has become an important multilateral platform for international tax cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative. Previous Belt and Road Tax Administration Cooperation Forums were held in China, Kazakhstan, Algeria, Georgia, and Hong Kong. The sixth forum will take place in Kathmandu, Nepal, in September 2025.