BEIJING - Chinese Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli said Friday that China should build the Belt and Road into a road of peace, prosperity, opening up and innovation, as well as a road connecting civilizations.

Addressing a work conference on the Belt and Road Initiative, Zhang said local authorities must carry on the Silk Road spirit of "peace and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning and mutual benefit" to seek greater headway in the China-proposed initiative.

China should connect the development strategies of countries along the Belt and Road and raise the ability of overseas security protection to build a road of safety, Zhang said. "By focusing on development, the country must continue to put connectivity and industrial cooperation as the major fields of cooperation for building the Belt and Road into a road of prosperity."

He said that to build a road featuring opening up, unswerving efforts should be made to safeguard multilateral trade systems, enhance investment cooperation and facilitate trade and investment.

"China should also enhance cooperation with countries along the Belt and Road in innovation-related fields, including the Internet, big data, cloud computing, digital economy, artificial intelligence and nanotechnology," Zhang said.

More platforms should be created to enhance multi-layered people-to-people exchanges in building the Belt and Road into a road connecting different civilizations, Zhang noted.