Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Friday that China would consider hosting the 3rd Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation next year, which would be the first staging of the event since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Belt and Road (B&R) is Xi's signature infrastructure investment initiative and previous editions of the forum, in 2017 and 2019, drew leaders and officials from dozens of countries.

In the latest gathering of countries members of the initiative Xi called for the inclusion of more countries in the network, citing that his government wants to "deliver benefits to all."

However, China has all but shut its borders since COVID-19 and canceled most big in-person international events that it had been due to host. In February, however, Beijing managed to stage the Winter Olympics inside a "closed loop."

China has recently begun to ease some elements of its strict zero-COVID-19 policy, even as the country battles surging outbreaks in numerous cities, with many analysts predicting a more significant opening up starting in March or April.

Xi was speaking on Friday at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) gathering in Bangkok, where the APEC leaders assembled to discuss ways to promote sustainable development and facilitate trade and investment.

The (B&R) Initiative is a global infrastructure development strategy adopted by the Chinese government in 2013, to invest in nearly 150 countries and international organizations.