China Urges US to Support Regional Infrastructure

Beijing: China welcomes the US’ commitment to supporting regional infrastructure and hopes the promise won’t fail in practice, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang said on Monday when commenting on US Vice President Mike Pence’s recent statement. In a speech during the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit held in Papua New Guinea, Pence said the US would provide $60 billion for regional infrastructure development, but Washington “does not offer a constricting belt or a one-way road.” reports Xinhua news agency. Some media said the statement was aimed at China. The Belt and Road Initiative is an economic cooperation initiative and a public good provided by China to the international community. If it benefits unilaterally, there wouldn’t be more than 140 countries and international organizations signing cooperation agreements with China, according to Geng. “The international community generally welcomes and supports the Belt and Road Initiative. There is no shortage of examples,” he said. (IANS)

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