Sydney, Feb 19: India, Japan, Australia and
the US are discussing a scheme to jointly develop regional infrastructure as an
"alternative" to China's multi billion-dollar Belt and Road
Initiative,
Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop confirmed on Monday.
“There is an enormous need for infrastructure, particularly in our region,” Bishop in an interview with Sky News said about a report on the plan in The Australian Financial Review.
She said officials of the four countries had discussed “a range of opportunities and challenges”.
The Australian Financial Review quoted an unnamed US official as saying that Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is expected to discuss the idea during talks in Washington this week, possibly during a scheduled meeting with President Donald Trump.
The official said the plan was still “nascent” and “won’t be ripe enough to be announced” during Turnbull’s visit.
The official told the Review that he would prefer to describe the plan as an "alternative" to China's Belt and Road Initiative rather than a "rival".
However, the prospect of such an initiative will be watched closely by Beijing which had protested after senior foreign affairs officials from the four countries met last November in Manila on the sidelines ASEAN and East Asia Summits to discuss the restoration of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue.
The four countries look at the BRI as a vehicle for Beijing to exert its influence globally, as Chinese President Xi Jinping has moved to fund a global network of major infrastructure projects throughout the region and beyond such as ports, rail networks, bridges and roads.
Some 70 countries have signed up to the BRI, first mentioned during a speech by President Xi to university students in Kazakhstan in 2013.
The quadrilateral dialogue was devised last decade to try to contain China but collapsed when the Kevin Rudd government in Australia withdrew due to pressure from Beijing. UNI
“There is an enormous need for infrastructure, particularly in our region,” Bishop in an interview with Sky News said about a report on the plan in The Australian Financial Review.
She said officials of the four countries had discussed “a range of opportunities and challenges”.
The Australian Financial Review quoted an unnamed US official as saying that Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is expected to discuss the idea during talks in Washington this week, possibly during a scheduled meeting with President Donald Trump.
The official said the plan was still “nascent” and “won’t be ripe enough to be announced” during Turnbull’s visit.
The official told the Review that he would prefer to describe the plan as an "alternative" to China's Belt and Road Initiative rather than a "rival".
However, the prospect of such an initiative will be watched closely by Beijing which had protested after senior foreign affairs officials from the four countries met last November in Manila on the sidelines ASEAN and East Asia Summits to discuss the restoration of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue.
The four countries look at the BRI as a vehicle for Beijing to exert its influence globally, as Chinese President Xi Jinping has moved to fund a global network of major infrastructure projects throughout the region and beyond such as ports, rail networks, bridges and roads.
Some 70 countries have signed up to the BRI, first mentioned during a speech by President Xi to university students in Kazakhstan in 2013.
The quadrilateral dialogue was devised last decade to try to contain China but collapsed when the Kevin Rudd government in Australia withdrew due to pressure from Beijing. UNI
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