United States’ surprise last-minute announcement is part of 100-day plan and new trade deal, but will it give Washington a voice in the so-far China-centric program?
In a move that is likely to give a boost to China’s Belt and Road Forum, the United States has announced that it will participate in meetings on the initiative beginning this weekend in Beijing.
The decision to attend is part of a 100-day plan and new deal between Washington and Beijing that was initially hammered out when President Donald Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping met early last month in Florida.
The interagency delegation from Washington will be led by Matthew Pottinger, a top adviser to the Trump administration and National Security Council senior director for East Asia. China is pleased with the decision.
“We welcome all countries to attend. And we welcome the United States’ attendance as the world’s largest economy in the relevant activities of the Belt and Road initiative, ” said Vice Finance Minister Zhu Guangyao.
Poland’s Prime Minister Beata Szydlo, left, meets China’s President Xi Jinping ahead of the upcoming Belt and Road Forum at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, May 12,2017.
Fact and fiction
China has long been playing up the global benefits of its ambitious trade project, but analysts note that the plan is opaque and vague. Besides, the economic benefits for developed nations such as the United States are still unclear.
For many, the project still seems largely China-centric. It boasts six economic corridors, all of which are to enhance links with China through connectivity and trade infrastructure. Those include connections between China and Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
“It’s about making China great again — in Trumpian terms — and making China great on the international stage, ” said Tom Miller, author of China’s Asian Dream: Empire Building Along the New Silk Road.
Domestically, China’s leaders present the project as part of their attempt at the grand rejuvenation of the Chinese people.
