China infrastructure push reaches Arctic

Bloomberg

The sun never sets on China’s trade and infrastructure ambitions. With the addition of the Arctic and Latin America, Chinese President Xi Jinping’s signature Belt and Road Initiative has become truly global. Only the US, its neighbour Canada and ally Japan have yet to be included in the plan, which seeks to build or upgrade a network of highways, railways, ports and pipelines.
China added the two regions— about 33.7 million total square kilometres—in the span of five days. First, Xi urged the creation of a “Trans-Pacific Maritime Silk Road” in a January 22 message to a gathering of leaders from Latin American and Caribbean countries. On January 26, China also announced a “Polar Silk Road” while unveiling its first white paper detailing an Arctic policy.
While it’s unclear how much support the initiative might find in the new geographic regions, the expansion is the latest illustration of Xi’s desire to play a greater global role as the US turns more inward-looking under Donald Trump. As the US president drafts a $1 trillion plan to overhaul America’s aging roads and bridges, Xi’s infrastructure-building endeavor is pushing into the US’s backyard.
Xi, seeking to avoid direct competition with Washington, has invited the US to join the initiative. Trump has not yet accepted the offer. Japanese PM Shinzo Abe has shown an interest in participating.