Central bank official says lenders can expect returns

China's Silk Road Fund has an important role to play while at an early stage of the Belt and Road Initiative's implementation because it helps leverage additional funding from various sources, according to a vice-governor of China's central bank.

"There is a huge funding gap to be filled in key projects, such as infrastructure construction, in countries and regions involved in the Belt and Road Initiative," said Yi Gang, vice-governor of the People's Bank of China. "It is necessary and timely to inject more money into the Silk Road Fund to leverage more funding sources to close the gap."