Gao Jinan, assistant to publisher and executive Chief Editor of China Daily Asia Pacific Company, said that the competition serves a great platform for thought exchanges among young people, which also enhances people-to-people ties.

"This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative, which has helped improve connectivity in infrastructure in countries and regions. Other than that, people-to-people bonds are also an integral and important part of the BRI," Gao said.

"This contest is a concrete and convincing activity towards this goal. All contestants are not only participants, but ambassadors working to enhance cultural and people-to-people exchanges."

Initiated by China Daily in 2019, the China Daily Belt and Road Youth English Speaking Competition is an internationally recognized competition for public-speaking lovers from all over the world, aiming at building a platform for teenagers to interact and learn from each other globally.

Known for its multicultural and youthful nature, the competition has so far attracted more than a thousand contestants from 51 countries and regions to participate.

Young people from countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping have enjoyed themselves in previous competitions held in Hangzhou, Guangzhou and Chengdu respectively.

As its newest extension this year, the Thailand and Myanmar regional events witnessed an extra session for the junior group under 12 years old. The contests were jointly organized by VDO English, an education subsidiary brand of China Daily Hong Kong, together with its co-host the RVI Group, a social enterprise based in Singapore.

"Success is not a destination, but a journey. The students' performance today has really impressed me and showed us that our future is bright. AI is an interesting topic and China is leading the revolution of science and technology. I believe it's a good field to be boosted," said Argus Ang, CEO of RVi Group.