DHAKA, Dec 10, 2019 (BSS) – Chinese ambassador in Dhaka Li Jiming today sharply ruled out US allegations that Beijing-led Belt and Road initiative (BRI) was contrary to “free and open regional development”, claiming that the project was “inclusive and beneficial for all”.
“It (BRI) is an initiative for open, inclusive, shared and peaceful development,” the envoy said in a statement weeks after US Assistant Secretary of Defense Randall G Schriver said BRI did not support free and open regional development while he was on a visit to Bangladesh.
Schriver at that time also said BRI did not “ensure the protection of nations’ sovereignty and international law” as well.
Li Jiming said the Initiative rather was aimed to build a “Community of Shared Future for Mankind”.
The Chinese envoy called the top US Defense official’s comment a “malicious slander” and “irresponsible claim”.
“It is rather groundless given where China is standing today in issues concerning global interest and international governance, in stark contrast with how the US has behaved in the past few years,” the statement read.
Jiming said such kind of the US claim is “certainly not the least helpful for any kind of peace and development in this region”.
The envoy said up to today, more than 150 countries including Bangladesh and international organisations signed BRI cooperation documents with China.
“We highly appreciate that Bangladesh along with many other countries have showed great support toward BRI for their good faith in China and the benefits the initiative has already delivered to their people,” he said.
Jiming claimed that the BRI was an initiative to pursue “a path for shared development and prosperity through cooperation in five major areas – policy coordination, connectivity of infrastructure and facilities, unimpeded trade, financial integration and closer people-to-people ties”.
He said the BRI is proposed for building forms of connectivity among the continents and countries around the globe in order to facilitate closer cooperation in development and beyond.
Several western media and financial analysts expressed concerns that BRI could appear as a “debt trap” creating a debt burden on countries related to the Initiative providing loans beyond their ability to repay to gain control of certain key projects.
“(But) as a matter of fact, the BRI wouldn’t pose any form of risk to its partners, which has been well proved in the practice and implementation of the BRI in the past 6 years,” he said.
In future, the envoy said, China would “seek to build a more dynamic and inclusive BRI by engaging in bilateral, trilateral and multilateral cooperation with all participants”.
He said his country’s aim to establish an open, green and clean BRI with free of corruption that aims to improve people’s lives in line with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.