Five years on from its launch, a spokesman for China's Foreign Ministry has told a news conference that the Global Development Initiative has "evolved from a Chinese proposal into an international consensus, and expanded from a cooperative concept into a wealth of practical actions".

More than 80 countries have joined the Group of Friends of the GDI, Guo Jiakun said in Beijing on Thursday.

To date, there have been more than 1,800 GDI cooperation projects, while over 200,000 professionals from various fields have been trained for developing countries, the spokesman added.

As a result, the GDI has driven global development efforts forward and yielded new results, Guo said.

"In the face of an international landscape marked by both change and turmoil, the only right choice is for the world to overcome challenges together through solidarity and cooperation," he added.