On Thursday, July 18, the CSIS Energy & National Security Program hosted a conference featuring keynote remarks by Frank Fannon, Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Energy Resources at the U.S. Department of State, and Senator Cory Gardner on engaging with Asia to develop mutually beneficial digital infrastructure and energy investment.
On June 28-29, government leaders representing 85 percent of the global economy convened for the fourteenth G20 Summit in Osaka, Japan. In the wake of the meeting, the CSIS Simon Chair in Political Economy hosted experts including Japan’s ambassador to the G20, Koji Tomita, to discuss major outcomes, including China’s endorsement of the G20 Principles for Quality Infrastructure Investment.
It is critical that public-sector officials responsible for infrastructure development—both at the local and national levels—commit to transparent practices to secure sustainable financing mechanisms.
Over the next 15 years, more hard infrastructure is projected to be built around the world than currently exists. As our infrastructure is transformed, so will be the economies it fuels, the regions it connects, and the global commons it underpins. These trends are too powerful and potentially beneficial for the United States to stop, and too consequential to ignore.
Launched in 2013, China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) strives to improve infrastructure, trade, financial integration, and people-to-people bonds across more than 80 countries. Its digital dimensions are far-reaching, including fiber optic cables, 5G networks, satellites, and devices that connect to these systems. On February 5th, the CSIS Reconnecting Asia Project hosted a discussion about these developments and their implications for U.S. economic and strategic interests.