With the "New Silk Road", China wants to gain influence - also in Europe.
The G7 now want to counter this with a counter-program.
Carbis Bay - At the G7 summit in Carbis Bay, UK, the leading industrial nations want to launch an initiative worth billions.
It is intended to be a powerful reaction to the Chinese “Belt and Road Initiative”, the “New Silk Road” *: The G7, including Germany, want to provide financial support for infrastructure projects for countries with low and middle incomes.
G7 summit: counter-draft to the new Silk Road - infrastructure initiative before the start
The corona pandemic created a gap in the required infrastructure amounting to 40 trillion US dollars, US government officials explained on the sidelines of the summit.
In order to counteract this trend, a separate infrastructure initiative is to be created, which is referred to in US circles as "Build Back Better World".
A corresponding agreement should be included in the final communiqué.
The states want to present the declaration at the end of the G7 summit on Sunday.
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The heads of state of the leading industrial nations at the G7 summit in Cornwall.
© Leon Neal / AFP
Even if no clear financial commitments have apparently been made, the US speaks of several hundred billion US dollars.
They ought to flow from the G7 countries with support from the private sector.
The implementation in the countries with low and middle income should be "in a transparent and sustainable way - financially, environmentally friendly and socially - take place," said the US side.
G7 summit: industrial nations want “alternative vision” to Chinese efforts
The initiative initiated by the USA * can be seen as an alternative to China's “new silk road”.
As part of the initiative, also known as the Belt and Road Initiative, China is investing in roads, railways, ports and other infrastructure projects, also in low- and middle-income countries.
In this way, the Chinese regime is opening up * new trade routes * to Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America. Critics warn that China will thus plunge states that cannot otherwise receive international aid into a relationship of political dependency. In addition, among other things, a lack of environmental protection aspect * in the investments is criticized.
However, the initiative of the G7 countries should not be understood as a pure competitor to the “new Silk Road”.
"It's not about countries having to choose between us and China," said a US official.
The aim of the G7 initiative is to offer “a positive, alternative vision” that countries could choose.
It stands in "stark contrast to the way some other countries deal with the efforts for infrastructure".
(fd / dpa) * Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA
List of rubric lists: © Guido Bergmann / dpa
