Quoted: Xi and Abe on Infrastructure
Quotes and Quotas is a weekly digest of phrases and facts that help explain Asia’s infrastructure push.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe are expected to meet on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany on July 7 and 8 to discuss a range of topics, including Japan’s possible participation in China’s Belt and Road initiative. For its part, Japan has thus far concentrated on its Partnership for Quality Infrastructure, a government-led initiative to invest $200 billion in infrastructure projects over five years. Here are what the two leaders have been saying about Asia’s infrastructure developments.
“I have proposed the initiative of building the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road to share China’s development opportunities with countries along the Belt and Road and achieve common prosperity.”
“Japan will contribute to meeting rapidly-growing Asia’s massive demand for infrastructure, including the construction of railroads, ports, and electrical power stations, as well as irrigation and flood control, by leveraging the trust it enjoys, its track record to date, and its sophisticated technological prowess.”
“Building roads and railways creates prosperity in all sectors.”
“Guided by the Silk Road spirit, we, the Belt and Road Initiative participating countries, have pulled our efforts to build the educational Silk Road and the health Silk Road, and carried out cooperation in science, education, culture, health and people-to-people exchange.”
“Asia’s dynamism will link the Pacific and Eurasia. I believe this will become a dream shared in common by all the countries of Asia. In order to make that dream a reality, we will concentrate Japan’s assistance on building high-quality infrastructure and fostering highly skilled human resources.”
“First of all, it is critical for infrastructure to be open to use by all, and to be developed through procurement that is transparent and fair. I furthermore consider it essential for projects to be economically viable and to be financed by debt that can be repaid, and not to harm the soundness of the debtor nation’s finances.”
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