The United States competes with the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative with a new Asian Investment Program



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The US Government Expands Its Infrastructure Development Program in the Asia-Pacific Region Using New Investment Programs, While Washington Worries About Aggressive Development Policy Abroad .

comes following concerns about the Trump administration's commitment to engaging with countries in the Indo-Pacific region.

Why America must become smarter to keep its edge over China

In response to the China Road Initiative's ambitious belt – a group of transportation and transportation projects The multi-billion dollar energy that Beijing has used to leverage its influence in Asia and beyond – the Pompeo Indo-Pacific Economic Vision will increase the financial support that the US government provides to the countries of the region . a newly merged government agency, the US International Development Finance Corporation (USIDFC).

Watch: China must be "clear" with Malaysian investment

Speaking at the Indo-Pacific Business Forum in Washington, Pompeo said that a greater investment in the region, supported by a new trilateral agreement with Japan and Australia, would become a pillar of Indo-Trump. Pacific Strategy

"The United States will protect nations [other] from coercion," said the US secretary of state. "We want peaceful resolutions for international maritime disputes."

Notably, he said "our commitment excludes any nation", without naming China. "Where are the US going, we are looking for partnership, not domination." "We are looking for strategic partnerships, not strategic dependence."

The event was hosted and hosted by the Chamber of Commerce United States, the country's largest industry association, representing Aecom and other global engineering and construction firms, China's investments are expected to remain in Pakistan

The move comes as the two largest economies in the world are locked in a multidomain geopolitical struggle for regional dominance and their worst trade confrontation in decades.

US investment will be partly assisted by an organization currently known as the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), which will be merged with a wing of the US Agency for International Development. nal to create the USIDFC

"The economy is a stronger pillar. "Thanks to the US National Security Strategy, the White House was launched in December," said David Bohigian, Executive Vice President of OPIC

. a government agency that provides financing and political risk insurance to US companies investing in overseas development projects, was designated to be terminated last year as part of government rationalization

. US strategic investment abroad facing Chinese companies expanding on several continents

"In all of Washington, it is clear that development, defense and diplomacy must work together" , Bohigian told the newspaper . China Morning Post.

The new economic vision could become "the successor to the Marshall Plan 70 years ago", referring to the US economic initiative to rebuild Europe's economy. West after the Second World War.

How Can the United States Co-opt the Belt and Road Initiative

It was not so long ago, however, on the tail of the United States. US President Donald Trump's rise to the White House, Government agencies such as OPIC were in a precarious situation, in contradiction with the "America First" philosophy that underscored his campaign.

Following the publication of the 2018 fiscal year budget, which called for the elimination of OPIC, it continues its activities and reduces its outstanding portfolio.

But according to Pompeo's new vision, the fortune of the agency could change. With a board of directors made up of a number of cabinet members with considerable weight as Assistant Secretary of State John Sullivan, a critic of China, CIPO seeks to ensure his own survival, although under the guise of the USIDFC.

Watch: The escalating trade war is affecting Trump's goods

After passing the United States House of Representatives on July 17 but awaiting approval of the Senate, the law "Better Use of Investments culminating in the development of 2018" – BUILD Act – will initiate a merger between CIPO and the so-called USIDFC, the agency will benefit from a $ 60 billion loan ceiling – double the current limit of CIPO – as well as a new equity capacity that will allow it to diversify beyond just existing debt services, such as

A spokeswoman for OPIC told Post that the head of the new corps would be chosen "at the pleasure of the president [US]". 19659002] Despite the new name, and perhaps a new direction, Bohigian still views development as a success, considering the alternative, and as a testament to the value of development finance in protecting US interests abroad. 9002] CIPO's renewed strength support came "from the growing realization of this powerful soft-power tool that is financing development," he said.

China has no idea of ​​Trump

and the development results enliven people on the left and right, "Bohigian said, especially as concerns in Washington increase, according to which China strengthens its global connections by international infrastructure and financing projects in developing countries [we want] to make sure that there are alternatives to the Chinese model. "

This feeling has accompanied the progress of the BUILD law in even stronger terms.

Expressing against what the House has called China's "predatory models of financing development", the representative Ed Royce , a California Republican, has drawn attention to Beijing's recent acquisition of a major port in Sri Lanka after the country failed to repay Chinese loans that had financed the Manufacturer uction of the transport center.

] Beijing has gained a foothold in the Indian Ocean and its critical shipping lanes. "

Critics outside the United States, too, have expressed concerns about China's funding strategy." During an April visit to Hong Kong, the Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund Christine Lagarde warned of a "problematic" increase in potential debt risk for countries involved in joint projects with China

Beijing is exploring the Blackwater-style security agency to operate at

But officials are likely to hesitate to publicly frame the initiative as a direct response to China during escalating trade tensions

. The director of the China Power project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies said that Pompeo's new initiative aimed to reaffirm America's influence in the region and to increasingly skeptical of the US's inability to support their commitments. ] Polls on public opinion in the region have shown that America's reputation has deteriorated since Trump's decision to withdraw from the Partnership's free trade agreement Trans-Pacific (TPP), an increasing number of Asian countries have found Washington less reliable than before. Meanwhile, growing Chinese domination in the Asia-Pacific region is causing concern

Watch: China redeploys surface-to-air missile systems in the South China Sea

"I do not think it should be considered an anti-China or anti-BIS strategy," Glaser said. "We can not compete with China in terms of money." But, she said, in terms of quality of investment, loans based on the needs of each country, the highly qualified workforce and the protection of the environment. do things differently alongside China.

However, Washington's new economic initiative will fuel suspicion in Beijing, as it hardens its stance against the United States in the midst of the trade war, which triggered a multi-billion barrage "The new economic vision is aimed at visibly China and the Belt and Road initiative, and further complicate US-China relations, "said Pang Zhongying, a Beijing-based international affairs analyst

. ] Investing in Africa is perfectly suited to China's long-term plans

"The introduction of the economic pillar of the Indo-Pacific Strategy comes at a delicate time when Beijing's global relations with the Trump Admini Despite Washington's latest effort to provide economic guarantees to its regional allies, the Trump administration has much to do to convince the world of its Indo-Pacific strategy, which was launched last year. [19659002]

Gal Luft, co-director of the Institute for Global Security Analysis in Washington, said the Indo-Pacific economic vision can not claim a resemblance to the Marshall Plan only if it is supported by

"Otherwise, it's only a sticker," he said, citing persistent concerns from US allies about a lack of predictability and predictability. consistency in the House White Trump

"It's too early to say if" But if Trump can properly solve his own problems and strengthen his alliances with regional powers, especially Japan, Australia and India, it has the potential to become a plan of action, "he added. I am a viable alternative to the Chinese model, which has its weaknesses.

Xi's trip to Africa cemented the continent's growing ties to China and its loans

Ely Ratner, former government adviser, and Dan Blumenthal bluntly criticized the economic and trade initiatives of Mr. Xi, and called on the Trump administration to put in place a "global and competitive" Chinese policy rather than a purely confrontational one.

Ratner, vice president and director of studies at the Center for a New American Security, a Washington-based think-tank noted that – thanks to fear of economic sanctions in Beijing – countries and companies are increasingly wary of resisting Chinese illiteracy and revisionism

. fundamental element of Chinese economic policy and had a frightening demonstration effect on the world, "he said.

Blumenthal, Director of Asia According to studies conducted at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, the United States must "consider a more proactive commercial program that targets countries that will become increasingly important in the United States – Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines – as well as help strengthen the rule of law in these countries so that they are not as susceptible to corruption pure and simple of China. "

Many Chinese companies" will go bankrupt, if the United States react to the tariff threat "

discouraged by such criticism, often relayed by the media. Chinese state as attempts to demonize the country and "half-cooked" prejudices to bind China.

During a visit to the Middle East and Africa last week, Xi vowed to seek closer alignment with emerging economies globally and invest more in the Belt initiative. and Road, which covers more than 80 countries and international organizations.

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