re posted from EIR DAILY ALERT SERVICE
RAND Working Paper Refutes Critics of China’s Belt and Road Initiative
Oct. 1 (EIRNS)—A May 2020 “working paper” issued by the RAND Corporation entitled “Demystifying the Belt and Road Initiative: A Clarification of Its Key Features, Objectives and Impacts,” gives an upbeat picture of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, refuting many of the lies which have been circulated by its opponents. The report in particular gives the lie to the accusations that the BRI is dependent on Chinese rather than native labor in the countries in which it operates, and the lie that it is a “debt trap.” It also clearly indicates that the investment of the BRI is not simply a one-shot affair, but is rather a “portfolio” investment. That is, by investing in transportation, this investment opens the door to the creation of a fiber-optic grid, the creation of industrial zones along the route, etc. Because of the fundamental nature of the transportation grid and similar infrastructure in a country’s economy, such investment changes the “geometry” of the recipient country so that it can move to a higher stage economically.
The researchers admit that the BRI adds to China’s prestige in the international community, but also that any such investment benefits the investor country, as it was for Japan through investment by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency, or the Marshall Plan for the U.S. And while many of the rail lines go from the BRI partner to China, they also go to the rest of the world. The paper pokes a big hole in the arguments of Pompeo and the neocons. RAND states that the working paper had not yet been “peer reviewed,” as of May, and it may yet be subject to their attacks. But its very existence has introduced a good dose of reality and truth to the “false narratives” perpetrated about China and the BRI in the U.S. media.
Source: EIR Daily Alert Service