Nan Suriya Khattiya, the first runner-up of the junior category, also expressed great appreciation for the rare opportunity to engage in close and direct dialogues with many of her peers from other Asian countries.

Nan noted that the event dovetail with the Silk Road spirit, which is highlighted in many of today's speeches as an embodiment of coexistence and mutual learning among civilizations. "The Belt and Road Initiative proposed by China links countries from the past to the future. It's not only the exchange of goods but also people-to-people interaction."

This upbeat note, shared among contestants, also struck a chord with their Chinese counterparts. In a sharing session with the finalists, Luo Ying, the national second runner-up of the 2022 "21st Century Cup" National English Speaking Competition who is currently a postgraduate student at Peking University, appealed for a step-up in international communication among youths.

"The Belt and Road Initiative is about connecting the dots between people, cultures and nations," she said. "The experience we share and the relationships we build are the lines that connect the dots, forming a path toward a more inclusive and understanding world."

The competition, initiated last year by VDO English, the educational arm of China Daily Hong Kong, and the RVIPS, the publishing arms of the RVi Group, which is a social enterprise dedicated to international education based in Singapore, aims to hold forth an annual regional celebration of linguistic prowess, take the pulse of the young generations, and inject impetus for the integration of fresh voices into cross-cultural dialogues.

"Since its launch in 2019 as one of our major undertakings capitalizing on the Belt and Road Initiative, the competition has been aligning itself with the Initiative's goals and missions, committed to promoting cultural diversity and exchanges," said Tan Yan, deputy general manager of China Daily Asia-Pacific and director of VDO English.

Contact the writers at yangwanli@chinadaily.com.cn