(Frank Ning, the chairman of the Chinese chemical giant Sinochem, said during a different panel that there was a new awareness in China about worries outside the country over how its businesses make overseas investments. “I think the Chinese are quite confused, they thought they would be welcome in other countries,” he said.)

The Belt and Road discussion was moderated by Tian Wei, a well-known anchor for the state-run China Global Television Network, making the absence of Chinese government officials, who typically shun panels with foreign moderators known to have criticized China, somewhat surprising.

Ms. Tian repeatedly hinted at the resentment felt by some people in China about foreign criticisms of the Belt and Road program, which she said was helping to build roads in developing countries that need them. “Let’s talk about facts, let’s talk about case studies, and let’s talk about the real stories, not just hearsay,” she added.

Wang Yongqing, the vice chairman of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, mentioned during the panel that China had helped build an industrial park in Ethiopia that makes leather products. But he and Mr. Xu avoided specifics about the hundreds of Belt and Road infrastructure projects already completed or underway. Critics say Chinese construction companies have moved so quickly partly because they bring in thousands of Chinese workers instead of training locals, and because they arrange special deals with local officials in developing countries that allow them to avoid paying tariffs on machinery that they ship in.

Sitting in the audience was Xiao Yaqing, the government minister who oversees state-owned enterprises. Asked to speak by Ms. Tian, he suggested one possible reason for Chinese officials’ caution when he said the Belt and Road push was good for Chinese companies as well as for other countries.

There have sometimes been criticisms on Chinese social media, quickly deleted by censors, that Beijing was spending money on overseas development that would be better spent at home, particularly when economic growth is slowing in the country.

China has been rethinking two aspects of the initiative: how it decides on overseas spending, and how the initiative is presented to overseas audiences. In September, Mr. Xi promised a further $60 billion for projects in African countries, but he made a point of saying that China would not pay for what he called vanity projects.