Trump and Turnbull to Discuss Alternative to China’s ‘One Belt, One Road’ Initiative

Australia, the United States, India, and Japan are discussing a joint regional infrastructure that would serve as an alternative to China’s ‘One Belt, One Road’ initiative, reported the Australian newspaper on Monday, citing an unnamed U.S. official.

The plan of the four regional partners is still in its infancy, quotes the Australian Financial Review from the U.S. official, “and will not be sufficiently developed to be presented to the public” during Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s visit to the U.S. this week.

However, it is expected to be included on the list of topics that Turnbull will discuss with U.S. President Donald Trump, and it is being seriously considered, the official emphasized. He also noted that the partners are more inclined to call it an “alternative” rather than a “competitor” to China’s ‘One Belt, One Road’.

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– No one is saying that China should not build infrastructure, quotes the newspaper an unnamed official.

– China could build a port that would not be economically sustainable on its own. We could make it sustainable if we build a road or a railway line that would be a connection, he adds.

Common Interests

Representatives of Australian Prime Minister Turnbull, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, and Trade Minister Steven Ciobo did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Australian Financial Review report.

In response to a press question about the report on cooperation among the four countries, Japanese Minister Yoshihide Suga stated that Japan, the U.S., Australia, and India regularly exchange views on issues of common interest.

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– This initiative is not directed against China’s ‘One Belt, One Road’, emphasized the Japanese official.

Japan plans to use the Official Development Assistance (ODA) program to promote a broader “free and open Indo-Pacific strategy”, including “high-quality infrastructure”, as shown in the summary of the white paper on this program from 2017.

Washington has accepted Japan’s Indo-Pacific strategy, which observers also see as a response to China’s ‘One Belt, One Road’ initiative.

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Chinese President first mentioned the initiative in 2013 to students in Kazakhstan. Its goal is to help Beijing expand its influence on the international stage by financing and building global transport and trade communications in over 60 countries.

In January of this year, China indicated that it wants to expand the initiative to the Arctic by opening maritime routes made possible by global warming.