EU’s connectivity plan ‘more sustainable’ than Beijing’s belt and road, European official says
- Brussels’ strategy focuses on ‘sustainable financing, avoiding debt traps, environmental impact’, European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic says
- EU keen to boost cooperation with China but Beijing must improve the transparency of its trade and infrastructure plan, he says
Speaking in an interview on the sidelines of the second Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, European Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic said the European Union would be happy to increase its cooperation with Beijing as long as it could improve the transparency of its grand plan for boosting trade and infrastructure.
“For us, connectivity is a little bit wider than the concept covered by the belt and road,” he said of the EU’s global development ambitions.
“We focus on sustainable financing, avoid debt traps and always do our due diligence. We are also very careful about environmental assessments and the impact [of projects] on the public. This is something that makes the European approach to infrastructure very attractive.”
The EU released its connectivity plan for Asia last year, with the promise to redouble its efforts to build transport, digital and energy infrastructure across a region in which China is already very active.
