Playing down the likely challenge from the European Union's ambitious USD 340 billion Global Gateway infrastructure programme to its BRI, a wary China on Thursday extended a guarded response, saying the two initiatives can complement each other to enhance global connectivity.
On Wednesday, the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen unveiled the EU's long-awaited infrastructure drive, which officials said will offer a “true alternative” to China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
The plan, known as the Global Gateway, promises to mobilise up to USD 340 billion between 2021 and 2027 for modern infrastructure projects outside the EU, covering items such as fibre optic cables, clean transport corridors and clean power transmission.
“China welcomes all initiatives that help developing countries improve infrastructure and promote common development,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said in a media briefing while reacting to the EU's Global Gateway project.
“We also believe that different initiatives should not replace or exclude each other. Instead, we advocate inclusiveness, communication and coordination for greater synergy”, he noted.
“China and the EU have much in common in the overall direction of connectivity. There is every reason for us to complement each other and jointly enhance the connectivity between countries and global sustainable development”, he explained.
Defending the BRI, Wang said that cooperation under the initiative has delivered tangible benefits to people in participating countries.
“Going forward, we will continue to strengthen cooperation with all BRI partners and work for steady progress in various sectors”, he said.
This is the second rival connectivity project to compete with China's multi-billion BRI.
US President Joe Biden has unveiled his global infrastructure the Build Back Better World (B3W) at the G7 summit in June this year with the goal of creating “a values-driven, high-standard, and transparent infrastructure partnership” to help finance projects in developing countries.
While the EU's proposal does not mention China by name, von der Leyen left little doubt that Beijing was in her thoughts during the press conference in Brussels.