Interestingly, the European Union foreign ministers this week gathered in Brussels to announce a new global infrastructure-connectivity initiative to provide an alternative to the BRI. It’s no coincidence that the EU project has come in the wake of the 27-member bloc signing partnerships with Japan and India to coordinate transport, energy and digital projects linking Europe and Asia. The G-7 communique, which was issued after the summit in Cornwall in June, also endorsed the idea of pooling resources and skills to offer a more transparent, financially- sustainable alternative to China’s BRI, which has reportedly already spent over $2.5 trillion in building projects and expanding influence in many parts of the world.

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