Amina J. Mohammed, deputy secretary-general of the United Nations, examines a piece featuring President Xi Jinping in the photo exhibition Strengthening International Cooperation for Win-Win Development, which opened on Monday in the New York headquarters of the UN. The exhibition opened just days before the start of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. [LIAO PAN/CHINA NEWS SERVICE]

What started as President Xi Jinping's proposal to draw together Asia, Europe and other areas through reviving the land and sea routes of the historic Silk Road has become a growing international movement embraced by many countries.

This is demonstrated in graphic form in a photo exhibition on the initiative, Strengthening International Cooperation for Win-Win Development, which opened at United Nations Headquarters in New York on Monday night.

"The Belt and Road Initiative is not a solo by China, but a symphony performed by all the relevant parties," said Liu Jieyi, China's ambassador to the UN, in describing its core value.

The exhibit, with about 40 photographs along the first floor's south wall, showcases the thinking behind the initiative, its achievements and its prospects and promises.

Photos are divided into five sections: Policy Coordination, Facilities Connectivity, Unimpeded Trade, Financial Integration and People-to-People Bond－in line with the initiative's five focuses.

The initiative, short for the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, was proposed by Xi in 2013 to enhance complementarity and promote common progress through closer international cooperation. Infrastructure investments and improved trade are major components.

It is rooted in the Silk Road spirit of "peace and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning and mutual benefit", and follows the principle of "extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits", Liu said.