BORIS BOASTS:
BORIS Johnson has declared that “the West is back” after he persuaded the G7 nations to support plans to challenge China’s domination of Africa and developing countries.
The seven largest advanced economies in the world will today officially back the Prime Minister’s “Build Back Better for the World” plan for financing vital infrastructure, from railways in Africa to wind farms in Asia.
The move is aimed at pushing the green agenda around the world but also providing countries with an alternative to Chinese investment through Beijing’s controversial Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
A spokesman for the PM said: “This project stands on its own merits and is in line with the G7’s priorities on ensuring the world builds back better and greener from the pandemic.
“It is designed to ensure developing countries have a choice in finding support from fair minded countries in line with democratic principles.”
It comes as the leaders of the UK, US, Japan, Italy, Germany, France and Canada, along with EU presidents, discussed opening an investigation into China’s role in the origins of the coronavirus and use of slave labour.
While the final communique will not be as tough as Britain and the US had hoped, the agreement on infrastructure for Africa represents a first major step in tackling the threat from Beijing.
Mr Johnson told Channel 4 yesterday: “I think they will see that the world is back, the West, democratic, liberal world is back.
“This was a summit that really did need to happen.”
A senior EU official also noted the summit had proved the importance of the G7 as “an agenda setting group”.
The new plan is intended to give developing countries access to more, better and faster finance, while accelerating the global shift to renewable energy and sustainable technology.
The Government will build on this with other countries ahead of the COP26 climate change summit in November.
Experts told the Sunday Express the need to take on China is paramount with its BRI buying it influence in Africa, with essential resources needed for future green products such as windfarms and electric cars.
Former diplomat and China expert Matthew Henderson said: “BRI was mis-sold to the world as a benign, egalitarian ‘win-win’ alternative to aggressive
Us-led capitalism. But China has used BRI as a scheme to weaponise its wealth for no other strategic goal than to promote the Chinese Communist Party’s economic, political and military hegemony across the globe.
“Much of the infrastructure built under BRI simply creates better market access for China and builds debt dependencies in hapless client states,