Beijing, April 26
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday sought to allay the debt diplomacy concerns raised by India and the US over his trillion dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), promising transparency, sustainability and zero tolerance to corruption in the costly infrastructure projects being funded by Beijing, specially to smaller countries.
The BRI is President Xi’s signature global infrastructure policy. First announced in 2013, the project promises to build ports, roads and railways to revive the ancient Silk Road and create new trade corridors linking China to Asia, Africa and Europe.
Addressing the Second Belt and Road Forum (BRF) attended by 37 heads of state and governments, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan besides officials from 150 countries and international organisations, Xi said China wants to build the BRI projects based on “open, green and clean cooperation”.
India, like the first BRF meet in 2017 has skipped the Friday meeting as protest over the $ 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) being laid through Pakistan- occupied Kashmir. The CPEC, which connects the strategic Gwadar Port in Pakistan’s Balochistan with China’s Xinjiang province, is the flagship project of the BRI.
This time, the US also joined India in skipping the BRF.The Trump administration has been extremely critical of the BRI and is of the view that China’s “predatory financing” is leaving smaller counties under huge debt and endangering their sovereignty.
Notwithstanding the global concerns, China has mobilised by far larger gathering of heads of state and government this time compared to the first BRF meeting held in 2017 during which 29 heads of state attended. — PTI
What is BRI
The BRI is President Xi Jinping’s signature global infrastructure policy. It was first announced in 2013, the project promises to build ports, roads and railways to revive the ancient Silk Road and create new trade corridors linking China to Asia, Africa and Europe
India protests CPEC
India, like the first BRF meet in 2017 has skipped the Friday meeting as protest over the $ 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) being laid through Pakistan- occupied Kashmir. The CPEC, which connects the strategic Gwadar Port in Pakistan’s Balochistan with China’s Xinjiang province, is the flagship project of the BRI
Why US has given it a miss
The Trump administration has been extremely critical of the BRI and is of the view that China’s “predatory financing” is leaving smaller counties under huge debt and endangering their sovereignty
What China vows to do
- Xi vowed to abolish subsidies to firms that impede fair competition
- He promised to prohibit forced technology transfer
- China will be protecting legitimate rights and interests of foreign owners of intellectual property rights.
- China will allow foreign investors to operate businesses in more sectors with controlling or full stake
Pak pm for more cooperation among BRI countries
Pakistan PM Imran Khan on Friday called for greater cooperation among the China-backed Belt and Road Initiative member countries to promote tourism and combat climate change, corruption and poverty. Pakistan will partner with all those who share the vision for a peaceful and prosperous world, he said .
from The Tribune http://bit.ly/2volVHd
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