March 29, 2024

Repel Beijing's influence: Biden wants to compete with "Silk Road"

Repel Beijing’s influence: Biden wants to compete with “Silk Road”

Repel Beijing’s influence
Biden wants to compete with the “Silk Road”

As part of the “New Silk Road” initiative, China is trying to gain influence in some countries through loans and projects. To counter this, Biden is now planning a “similar initiative” within the framework of “democratic states.”

US President Joe Biden wants to work with other “democracies” to launch a competing project on the $ 1 trillion “New Silk Road” in China. “I have suggested that we basically have a similar initiative coming from democratic countries to help those who really need help around the world,” Biden told reporters. He had previously submitted his proposal to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson over the phone.

Beijing’s influence in some countries has grown in recent years through loans and projects under the New Silk Road Initiative. The project raised anxiety among regional powers, especially among Western countries. As part of this initiative, China has assisted a number of countries in building or developing roads, railways, dams and ports.

London did not mention the US President’s suggestion in its report on the phone call between Biden and Johnson, but it spoke of “significant measures” to impose sanctions on “human rights violators” in the northwestern Xinjiang province.

Relationship strained due to Uighur persecution

The United Kingdom, the European Union, Canada and the United States imposed sanctions on China earlier this week over the crackdown on the Uyghur Muslim minority in the northwestern province of Xinjiang. Beijing reacted angrily to the measures, imposing sanctions on various politicians and scholars, as well as organizations from the European Union and other countries.

According to human rights organizations, there are at least a million Uighurs and other Muslims imprisoned in hundreds of detention camps in Xinjiang. There they were reportedly forced to abandon their religion, culture and language and even subjected to ill-treatment in some cases; Some reports even speak of genocide. Beijing denies the allegations and talks of training and employment programs aimed at combating extremism in the regions.

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