Statement from Ranking Member Krishnamoorthi on the Belt & Road Initiative Summit
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Ranking Member of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), issued a statement on the Belt & Road Initiative summit taking place in Beijing this week.
“Ten years ago, the Chinese Communist Party launched the Belt & Road Initiative (BRI) as an ambitious infrastructure development campaign that was hailed by General Secretary Xi Jinping as ‘the project of the century’. Since then, lending for BRI projects has plummeted, debt for borrowing countries has skyrocketed, and projects have been abruptly halted. As the CCP convenes countries this week to look back at more than $1 trillion spent, the United States must look ahead to the next decade and make a commitment to being a leader in sustainable development for low-income countries across the globe. It starts by showing up and providing a viable alternative to PRC lending and investments on critical projects. It requires the U.S. working with the multilateral development banks to find terms that do not saddle low-income countries with conditions that are impossible to meet and hamper efforts to invest in initiatives that improve the lives of their people. And it means Congress must fully support and fund programs through USAID, the DFC, and other agencies at the forefront of supporting the flow of private capital to countries in need. We must do better – as a partner in progress and driver of development – because low-income nations deserve an alternative to the troubled policies of the CCP.”
华盛顿特区 – 今天，众议院美国与中国共产党战略竞争特设委员会资深议员拉贾·克里希纳穆尔蒂 (Raja Krishnamoorthi) (D-IL)就在北京举行的“一带一路”国际合作高峰论坛发表以下声明。
“十年前，中国共产党发起了‘一带一路’，一项雄心勃勃的基础设施发展项目。此项目被习近平总书记誉为‘世纪工程‘。此后，‘一带一路’项目的贷款大幅下降，借款国的债务飙升，其中有些项目却突然停止。随着中共本周召集各国代表回顾超过 1 万亿美元的支出，美国必须展望未来十年，并承诺成为全球低收入国家可持续发展的领导者。美国必须出场并为中国贷款和投资的关键项目提供可行的替代方案。这要求美国与多边开发银行一起合作、找到不会给低收入国家带来无法满足并会阻碍改善人民生活的贷款条件。这意味着美国国会必须通过美国国际开发署、美国国际开发金融公司和其他类似机构（其他处于最前沿支持私人资本流向到有需要的国家的机构）全力支持和资助的项目。作为进步的伙伴和发展的推动者，我们必须要做得更好，因为低收入国家应该有一个取代中共不利政策的方案。”
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