The leaders of the G7 countries have agreed to launch a new global infrastructure initiative for developing countries.

This was reported on the White House website.

The concept, called Build Back Better World (B3W), is a "positive initiative" that aims to "meet the colossal infrastructure needs of low- and middle-income countries."

“President Biden and his G7 partners have decided to launch a bold new global infrastructure initiative Better Than Old World (B3W), a transparent infrastructural partnership based on values ​​and high standards led by major democracies,” it said.

  • Joe Biden

  • Reuters

  • © Phil Noble

The initiative aims to reduce the infrastructure needs of developing countries, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which is estimated at more than $ 40 trillion.

It clarifies that through B3W, the G7 countries and other partners will coordinate their actions to raise capital in four key areas - climate, health, digital technologies and gender equality.

Good intentions

It is also noted that the initiative will be global in nature and will cover regions from Latin America and the Caribbean to Africa and the Indo-Pacific region.

In general, we are talking about low and middle income countries.

“In announcing this partnership, the United States and its G7 partners are expressing a common vision for global infrastructure development,” the White House stressed.

As a lead partner on the B3W initiative, the United States will seek to leverage the full potential of its development investment instruments, including the American Development Finance Corporation (DFC), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the United States Export and Import Bank (EXIM). the Millennium Challenge Corporation; and the US Trade and Development Agency; and related organizations such as the Transaction Advisory Fund.

  • The White house

  • Gettyimages.ru

  • © drnadig

“The Biden’s administration thus aims to complement national infrastructure investments under the American Employment Plan and create new opportunities to demonstrate US competitiveness overseas and guarantee new jobs in the country,” it said.

From the point of view of political scientists, the new project under the auspices of the United States is in many ways aimed at competing with China's Belt and Road Initiative.

Earlier, Joe Biden announced the creation of an analogue of the Chinese program.

At the same time, according to The Guardian, some G7 leaders, including Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, called on the head of the White House not to bring competition with Beijing to a level that would hinder cooperation on vital issues such as the climate crisis.

“This is not only about confrontation or rivalry with China.

But also that until now we have not offered positive alternatives that reflect our values, our standards and the way we carry out our activities, ”The Guardian quotes the words of an unnamed American official.

We will remind, for the first time the term "Building Back Better" appeared after the tsunami in the Indian Ocean in 2004 - one of the most destructive in history.

The concept implies that the post-disaster recovery period is best used to drive positive change.

Subsequently, the “Building Back Better” principle formed the basis of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030, which was adopted at the Third World Conference in Sendai (Japan) on behalf of the UN General Assembly.

According to experts, it was no coincidence that the American president used a similar name for his initiative.

As Alexander Belchuk, professor of the Department of World and National Economy of the All-Russian Academy of Foreign Trade, noted in a commentary to RT, the White House is trying to camouflage the true goals of the new project in this way.

“At the forefront is not assistance in economic recovery, but the fight against China.

The United States is trying to block China's access to advanced technologies and wants to slow down the One Belt - One Road program, which partly predetermines the development of the Chinese economy, "Belchuk said.

Andrey Sidorov, head of the Department of International Organizations and World Political Processes at the Faculty of World Politics at Moscow State University, shares a similar point of view.

"The essence of the initiative, of course, is not to 'restore peace', but to prevent China from seizing control of world economic ties through economic and political pressure," he explained in an interview with RT.

  • President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping

  • AFP

  • © Leo Ramirez

It should be noted that Beijing did not disregard the anti-Chinese statements of the leaders of the G7 countries.

“We are of the opinion that all countries - large and small, strong and weak, rich and poor - are equal and that global issues should be resolved through consultation among all countries.

The times when global decisions were dictated by a small group of states are long gone, "the official representative of the Chinese Embassy in Great Britain said in a statement.

In China, they believe that there is only "one system and one order" in the world.

"An international system with the United Nations at its center and a world order based on international law - not a so-called system and order maintained by a handful of countries," the Asian country's embassy explained.

Anti-chinese course

The head of the White House Joe Biden announced plans to create an alternative to the Chinese project "One Belt - One Road" back in March during a telephone conversation with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

“I proposed the idea that we should have, in essence, an

initiative

similar to (the Chinese project. -

RT

): to attract the resources of democratic states, to send aid to those areas around the world in which it is really needed,” Biden said. journalists following the talks.

However, the rivalry between the United States and China began to intensify long before Biden took over the White House.

His predecessor, Republican Donald Trump, in his foreign policy strategy focused on criticism of Beijing.

The politician accused the country of allegedly using dishonest methods in trade.

In 2018, Washington launched a trade war against the PRC by raising import duties on Chinese goods.

The Asian power responded with similar measures.

  • Gettyimages.ru

  • © Michael Macdonald / EyeEm

The coronavirus pandemic has only exacerbated these controversies.

The American authorities used the fact that the first COVID-19 outbreak was officially recorded in China to build up anti-Chinese rhetoric.

Biden continued this line, accusing Beijing of "economic abuse."

In February, the 46th head of the White House called on the world community to "rebuff" China's actions, which allegedly "undermine the foundations of the international economic system."

The American leader is convinced that the rules of world trade should not be established by China or other countries, but by "market democracies."

Biden wrote about this in an article for The Washington Post.

Political wedge

The idea of ​​creating a Eurasian Silk Road Economic Belt (SREB) was first presented to the general public in 2013.

Then the leader of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping spoke about the initiative during a trip to Kazakhstan.

Subsequently, it was also proposed to create the 21st century Maritime Silk Road (MSR).

Both transport branches - land and sea - should form the basis of the "One Belt - One Road" trade and economic project.

Its prototype was the Great Silk Road - caravan routes that in ancient times and the Middle Ages connected East Asia with the Mediterranean.

The project includes not only the creation of transport infrastructure, but also the deepening of customs partnerships, cross-border financial transactions, as well as the creation of financial institutions under regional cooperation organizations.

The sea route will pass through the Indian Ocean, Red and Mediterranean Seas.

The likelihood of using the Northern Sea Route for these purposes is also discussed.

  • Ceremony of joint photographing of the heads of delegations of the countries participating in the "One Belt - One Road"

  • RIA News

  • © Valery Melnikov

European countries showed great interest in the initiative.

For example, in 2019, German Chancellor Angela Merkel called the Silk Road an important project, noting that the EU would like to play an active role in it.

In turn, the head of the Italian government (then this post was held by Giuseppe Conte. -

RT

) and Xi Jinping signed a memorandum of understanding in 2019.

The document spoke of Rome's support for the One Belt - One Road project.

Now, as experts note, Washington's new initiative, as well as the entire anti-Chinese rhetoric of the American authorities, is aimed, among other things, at destroying the already existing economic ties between the PRC and Western countries.

“Biden, with the help of this program, is trying to consolidate the international community, which is going to be led by the United States.

The idea is to intercept the sustainable development agenda, which presupposes active interaction with developing countries, and at the same time to form on this basis an alliance of "market democracies" under the auspices of Washington, "Sidorov explained.

Also, the United States can use the new initiative to combat the influence of the PRC in Africa and Asia, the expert added.

However, the Build Back Better World program is unlikely to supplant the Chinese projects in practice.

“If the initiative is based primarily on the G7, then it is unlikely to be able to compete with the Chinese programs.

There are now many more than seven countries that play a significant role in the global economy.

The idea is good only from a propaganda point of view, ”says Sidorov.

Alexander Belchuk also believes that "Washington is late with the B3W project", since within the framework of the "One Belt - One Road" program many agreements have long been signed with different countries, large funds have been invested.

“In many respects, China is already the world's first economic power, although it still has a 10-20-year journey ahead of it to finally establish itself in this role. Of course, the United States will try to create programs that would reduce the interest of political leaders in developing countries to cooperate with China. But these efforts are unlikely to be crowned with success, ”Belchuk predicted.