Why is America concerned about China's Belt and Road Initiative?

China's Belt and Road Initiative marks a new era of global competition between the United States and China, according to a report in the US-based magazine.

China's financing of development and infrastructure projects could bring economic and strategic benefits to Beijing at the expense of the United States, the report said.

The Belt and Road, a Chinese initiative built on the ruins of the ancient Silk Road, aims to connect China with the world by investing billions of dollars in infrastructure along the Silk Road linking it to the European continent, to be the largest infrastructure project in human history, including the construction of ports and roads Railways, industrial zones and energy projects.

Southeast Asian countries, such as Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos and Vietnam, have benefited from Chinese funding for power generation projects, the report said.

Beijing-funded power generation projects are increasing pollution problems, with 40 percent of China's development banks and AXIM spending earmarked for coal-fired electricity.

Beijing has funded the construction of power plants in 38 countries since 2013, about half of which depend on fossil fuels.

Most overseas-funded coal-fired power plants use low-efficiency coal, which has higher carbon emissions than any other type of power generation, making China contribute to environmental destruction.

The report pointed out that Chinese companies have set up about 140 coal plants outside the border, including in countries such as Egypt and Pakistan that have not previously used coal.

China has always assured the world that the Belt and Road Initiative is basically an environmentally friendly project, he said.

China has always sought to allay fears about its initiative, vowing to make the program sustainable, not polluting the environment and following international standards, especially with regard to debt, at a time when Washington accuses that Chinese funding could lead to debts that countries could not serve in exchange for political influence. Earlier.

Strong relationships
"In fact, Beijing is taking advantage of infrastructure projects - which are causing environmental and social damage - to gain diplomatic ties that would weaken the US military presence in the Indian Pacific region and give it a competitive edge over the United States in an important emerging market."

On the other side of Asia, Beijing-backed energy projects are helping the CPC deepen cooperation with Islamabad in defense, as air pollution worsens and causes premature deaths each year.

Washington should highlight environmental, social, and preference damage compared to US energy projects as part of the Indian Pacific Strategy initiatives that seek to develop the region's energy markets while minimizing the environmental consequences.

He also said the United States should strengthen its existing partnerships with Australia, India and Japan, one of its strongest allies in the Indian Pacific region, to internationalize new standards on "high-quality infrastructure."

Difficulties
The United States will find it very difficult to urge countries not to receive funding from the Chinese government on the one hand, and push the latter to not finance energy projects that use low-quality coal on the other.

He also said that China's support for energy projects outside its borders in exchange for preventing its construction inside the country is self-serving, as it considers coal equipment exports a solution to industrial surplus capacity.

If the United States could push China to become a more aware provider of development assistance, global prosperity would grow, the increase in carbon emissions would decline, and Beijing's ability to provide foreign aid at the expense of the United States would be weakened.