Seven years after President Xi’s announcement of the Belt & Road Initiative, the world economy has been facing tough challenges due to  the COVID-19 pandemic. Scholars and experts from China, Pakistan, the United Kingdom, Myanmar and the US shared their points of view at the 6th IFF Academic Conference on April 30, 2020. Zafar Uddin Mahmood, secretary general of the SRIA and former Special Envoy for China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) hosted the conference and delivered a welcome speech.