China’s Belt and Road Initiative is not a “geopolitical tool” or a debt crisis for participating nations, but Beijing welcomes constructive suggestions on how to address concerns over the initiative, the Chinese government’s top diplomat said yesterday.
Beijing is to host a Belt and Road Initiative summit from Thursday to Saturday next week that 37 foreign leaders are to attend, including some of China’s closest allies, although the US, which has been critical of the project, is only sending low-level representatives.
The program, a key initiative of Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), envisions rebuilding the old Silk Road to connect China with Asia, Europe and beyond with massive infrastructure spending.
Photo: EPA-EFE
However, it has proved controversial in many Western capitals, particularly Washington, which views it as merely a means to spread Chinese influence abroad and saddle countries with unsustainable debt through non-transparent projects.
The US has been particularly critical of Italy’s decision to sign up to the plan last month during Xi’s visit to Rome, the first for a G7 nation.
Chinese State Councilor Wang Yi (王毅), the government’s top diplomat, told reporters that the Belt and Road Initiative has created real benefits for participating countries.
“This partnership relationship is not a geopolitical tool, but a platform for cooperation,” Wang said.
“You can’t put hats like ‘debt crises’ onto the head of the Belt and Road, and this is not something any participating country would recognize,” he said.
“Of course, there is a development process for the Belt and Road. You can’t get there in one step, and it’s unavoidable it will cause some worries during its development. So we welcome all sides to come up with constructive suggestions,” he added.
The number of foreign leaders at the summit is up from 29 last time, mainly from China’s closest allies, such as Pakistan and Russia, but also Italy, Switzerland and Austria.
The US would not send high-level officials, a US Department of State spokesman said earlier this month, citing concerns about financing practices for the initiative.
There would be Americans at the summit — diplomats, state-level officials, executives and academics, Wang said, but he did not give details.
While the US and China are working to end a bitter trade dispute, they have numerous other areas of disagreement, including human rights and US support for Taiwan.
At the first Belt and Road summit two years ago, the US submitted a diplomatic note to China complaining about North Korea’s participation, although since then Washington and Pyongyang have sought to reset ties, including with two summits between their leaders.
North Korea would also take part in this year’s summit, Wang said, but gave no further details.
More than 150 countries are sending delegations and there are to be about 5,000 guests, he said.
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