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BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission proposed on Wednesday a foreign policy plan to improve transport, energy and digital infrastructure links with Asia but denied seeking to counter China’s ambitions that have raised suspicion in Western capitals.
The plan, which would be backed by additional funds from the EU’s common budget from 2021, private sector loans and development banks, amounts to a strategic response to China’s largesse in much of central Asia and south-eastern Europe, where Beijing has invested billions of dollars.
The 13-page strategy outlined by the EU executive did not specify how much the bloc would spend, but the Commission is relying on a proposed 60 billion euro ($70 billion) fund that would act as an insurance for investors if projects fail.
That fund could raise more than 300 billion euros between 2021 and 2027 by attracting investors into projects by offering a guarantee to cover the costs if a project fails.
Although not all money would be spent in Asia, the Commission’s strategy, once agreed by EU governments, would make spending on infrastructure links with Asia official EU policy.
EU foreign ministers are expected to approve it at a meeting on Oct. 15, three days before an summit between European and Asian leaders in Brussels.
Since 2013, China has launched construction projects across more than 60 countries, known as the Belt and Road Initiative, seeking a network of land and sea links with Southeast Asia, Central Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Africa.
EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said the Commission’s proposal was not linked to any Chinese policies.
The Asian Development Bank estimates Asia requires more than 1.3 trillion euros a year in infrastructure investment, not all of which can be met by China, the Commission said.
A“Our proposals, our policies and our calendar are not determined elsewhere,” Mogherini told a news conference when asked if the plan was a challenge to Beijing. “It is not a reaction ... to another initiative ... be it in Beijing, Washington, Moscow or Timbuktu.”
However, EU officials said they are concerned about what they see is a Chinese investment model which lends to countries for projects they may not need, or be able to afford, making them reliant on Chinese help once under way.
A Chinese-funded highway to link Montenegro’s Adriatic coast to landlocked neighbor Serbia has so indebted Montenegro that the International Monetary Fund has told the country it cannot afford to finish the project.
Jan Weidenfeld, an expert on Europe-China relations at the Mercator Institute for Chinese Studies (MERICS) in Berlin, said the EU plan was “very much a response to Belt and Road.”
“The main message is that when you’re creating large-scale infrastructure projects, you need to abide by certain norms or standards, whether they be environmental or financial. The EU sees a window of opportunity to steer Chinese policies here,” Weidenfeld said. ($1 = 0.8566 euros)
The EU’s investment in Asia could increase up to fourfold in its next budget, strengthening its presence in the region, which is in need of 1.3 trillion euros (US$1.5 trillion) for infrastructure investment a year, according to EU officials.
The bloc did not say if it was competing with China, but said the plan was urgently needed because other players were setting their own strategies.
Observers said it would rival the belt and road plan – President Xi Jinping’s flagship project to boost infrastructure and trade links which was launched in 2013 with plans to invest more than US$80 billion for infrastructure linkages for more than 60 nations from Asia to Africa.
Under its plan, the EU will seek to extend the current Trans-European Network for Transport which stretches across Eastern Europe and the Caucasus region to Asia through a combination of rail, sea and inland waterways.
The EU will also pursue air transport agreement negotiations with Southeast Asian nations, Azerbaijan, Turkey and Qatar. Energy infrastructure projects, as well as interpersonal exchanges and scholarships to increase flows between Europe and Asia are also suggested.
The plan will build off the billions of dollars the EU has previously committed to Asia. The EU external action budget will be increased to 123 billion euros for 2021-27.
The EU has already mobilised 4.2 billion euros between 2010 and mid-2018 for its Asia Investment Facility and the Investment Facility for Central Asia.
The plan was put forward as other major players have also introduced connectivity programmes for the region. In July, the US announced US$113 million in new investment for the Indo-Pacific region.
Both the US and Europe have said China’s belt and road programmes are not transparent and benefit Chinese enterprises which hire Chinese workers instead of local people, while causing damage to the environment.
EU Vice-President Federica Mogherini highlighted the potential differences with the belt and road plan in a press conference in Brussels on Thursday, saying a “European approach” would be based on international rules, and aim to create jobs and sustainable development in Asian partner countries.
Mogherini said European Union investments could increase three to four times as a result of the new policy.
But she said the EU would not officially decide its position on the relationship between its plan and the belt and road strategy until the policy was adopted next month, adding that it was in the best interests of both parties to increase connectivity between Asia and Europe.
Frans-Paul van der Putten, senior research fellow of the Clingendael Institute, a Dutch policy research organisation, said the EU’s implicit message was that its own approach was actually more attractive than China’s.
Ding Chun, an economics professor at the Centre for European Studies at Fudan University, said the plan had competitive and cooperative elements in relation to China’s initiative, but that the two could work together to open new markets that would benefit all parties.
“The ‘Belt and Road Initiative’ has its fans and critics within Europe, but ultimately the EUdoes not want to miss out on the opportunities,” Ding said.
Cui Hongjian, a senior fellow with the China Institute of International Studies, said the belt and road strategy had helped spur Europe to create its own plan.
“Whether you see the relationship as competition or cooperation, it’s clear Europe accelerated the preparation of its initiative in response to the belt and road,” he said.
But he believes Europe’s plan may encounter difficulties when it brings its rules and norms to Asia.
“The EU’s rules may work well within its own borders, but they should prepare themselves for the possibility that Asian countries may not accept them,” he said.
【编译/观察者网 童黎】 童黎 2018-09-20 21:00:14 来源:观察者网
然而,这一计划不但被欧盟官员视作“带有马可·波罗的味道”,不足以与中国“一带一路”倡议相比。观察者网还注意到,今年1月,欧盟驻华使团就曾透露,欧盟正在制定欧亚大陆互联互通规划,对接“一带一路”。
外交部发言人耿爽在20日的记者会上回应表示,我们期待欧盟在促进亚欧互联互通方面发挥建设性作用,对外传递促进亚欧各国经济合作、建设开放型世界经济的积极信号。 我们相信在中欧双方共同努力下,亚欧大陆互联互通一定能够不断取得新进展,不断造福地区各国人民。
外媒:欧盟版“一带一路”倡议出炉
据欧盟官网9月19日消息,为加快连接欧洲和亚洲,欧盟委员会和欧盟外交与安全政策高级代表费代丽卡·莫盖里尼(Federica Mogherini)19日通过了一份题为《连接欧洲和亚洲—对欧盟战略的设想》文件,为连接欧亚制定一项全面新战略,目的是通过实体和非物质网络更好地连接双方,推动贸易发展。
构想提出将在三方面展开具体行动:创造交通、能源数字网络、以及人员之间互联互通;为亚洲国家或组织提供交流伙伴关系;利用多重金融工具保证金融稳定发展。
莫盖里尼还表示,“连接是通向未来的道路。连接得越紧密,我们的机会就越多——找到共同的政治解决方案,为公民带来经济繁荣。”
路透社9月20日报道该构想后,补充说,欧盟将从2021年及之后的共同预算中拨出额外资金,联合民间贷款与开发银行,一道为该计划提供资金支持。同时,路透社注意到,这份13页的战略概述并未详细说明将花费多少资金,但欧盟将建议成立一支600亿欧元基金,作为投资者的保险项目,以防计划失败。
报道称,尽管并非所有资金都会用在亚洲地区,但执委会此项战略一旦获得欧盟成员国政府通过,就将令投资连接欧亚的基础设施成为欧盟的官方政策。
如此欧亚连接构想,自然会让人联想到中国的“一带一路”计划。路透社援引莫盖里尼的话称,委员会的这项计划无关于中国的任何政策。
“我们的计划、政策和议程不是由其他地方决定,”莫盖里尼在新闻会上回答该计划是否给中国带来挑战的问题时称,“这不是对北京、华盛顿、莫斯科……倡议的回应。”
欧盟公布亚洲基础设施计划,否认对抗中国 报道截图
莫盖里尼(中) 图自欧盟网站
在欧盟公布的文件中,还特别就“该战略是否直接与中国‘一带一路’倡议竞争?”一问回应道,“尽管在方法和实施方面存在差异,但欧盟和中国都有兴趣确保我们各自的倡议能实现协同工作。如果系统和网络不可兼容操作,那就无法实现互联互通。正如我们已经做的那样,欧盟将继续与中国接触,在我们的双边互联互通平台、在更广泛的双边关系和多边场合中,创造协同效应并找到共同点。”
文件截图
尽管欧盟官方措辞谨慎,但却防不住西方一些媒体。英国《金融时报》9月20日直接将上述构想与中国“一带一路”倡议联系起来,称作为对中国“一带一路”倡议的回应,欧盟已经提出在欧亚建设基础设施的建议,渲染中欧对抗。
《金融时报》中文报道甚至直接将该计划称为“欧盟版‘一带一路’”。而《欧洲动态》更是直接扭曲了莫盖里尼的话,称“莫盖里尼公布对丝绸之路计划的欧洲对策”。
“欧洲公布应对中国‘一带一路’倡议的计划” 《金融时报》英文报道截图
《金融时报》中文报道截图
莫盖里尼公布欧盟对“新丝绸之路”的回应 "欧洲动态"(EUractiv)网站报道截图
《金融时报》称,莫盖里尼表示,这些计划代表着连接两大洲的“欧洲方式”。此话中隐含了与中国支持的一些项目的对比,后者在《金融时报》口中被歪曲成“让国家负债累累,或是花费高、价值低”的项目。
“与‘一带一路’没有可比性”
据报道,欧盟建议提出数周后,欧亚领导人峰会就将在布鲁塞尔举行,峰会也将成为对欧亚关系的重要考验,这两个地区目前都与美国关系紧张。
同时,欧盟和一些欧洲国家还在担心,中国正通过“16+1”合作分裂欧盟。“16+1”中包括11个欧盟国家和西巴尔干地区5个希望加入欧盟的国家。
报道还称,欧盟希望利用其互联互通计划,与中国和其他国家进行项目合作,比如那些填补该地区基础设施缺口的项目。欧盟的提案还向成员国的公共和私人金融机构等发出邀请,呼吁它们积极参与其中。
然而有批评人士认为,欧盟的计划过于谨慎和不切实际。一名欧盟外交官表示,欧盟出台的文件“比不上(no match)”中国所作的努力,并称其“有点马可•波罗(Marco Polo)的味道”。
他指出:“这与‘一带一路’没有可比性,它更像是一份现状报告,完全缺乏吸引人的叙述。”
马可·波罗是13世纪的意大利探险家,他讲述了关于“中国(Middle Kingdom)”的梦幻故事,其中一些传说令人生疑。巧合的是,莫盖里尼当选欧盟外交政策负责人之前,就担任意大利外长一职。
近期,外媒一再炒作中国贷款致使多国陷入所谓“债务陷阱”,不但有非洲媒体、斯里兰卡总理等国领导人及官员站出来驳斥中国“债务陷阱论”,外交部发言人华春莹也在8月31日指出:
“同样是资金,怎么西方国家的资金就是香甜的‘馅饼’,而中国提供的就变成了黑暗的‘陷阱’?!这是毫无道理的。希望西方一些国家、人士和媒体能客观、公正地看待中国与有关国家的合作。”
费代丽卡·莫盖里尼曾是意大利历史上第二位女性外交部长,也是欧洲政坛的一抹亮色
另一名支持该计划的外交官则强调,这不是在与中国对抗,而应以“可能推动与中国的合作,在环保标准、招标程序等领域影响中国”的眼光来看。
制定欧亚大陆互联互通规划,对接“一带一路”
在外媒聚焦欧盟是否在与中国竞争时,观察者网注意到,欧盟驻华大使史伟今年1月的说法却与上述外交官的说法较为符合。
1月10日,史伟在与2018年上半年欧盟轮值主席国保加利亚驻华大使共同举行的新闻发布会上透露,2018年欧盟将加强互联互通方面的一些合作,继续支持中国的“丝绸之路”相关倡议,希望能够共同促进欧亚地区进一步的增长和繁荣。
他称,欧盟正在制定有关欧亚大陆互联互通的规划蓝图,这个蓝图在今年就会出台,这个合作框架将同中国及其他一些欧亚国家进一步发展共同合作,与“一带一路”倡议具体对接。
其实,在连接亚洲与欧洲方面,中国一直在进行积极尝试,比如中欧班列。
近年来,中国铁路总公司认真贯彻落实党中央、国务院关于“一带一路”建设部署要求,秉承“共商、共建、共享”理念,充分发挥亚欧大陆铁路网络优势,不断提升中欧班列服务质量和运行品质,实现中欧班列开行数量的快速增长,有力促进了中国对外开放和“一带一路”沿线国家经贸往来。目前,中欧班列已成为“一带一路”建设的标志性成果,被喻为“一带一路”上的“钢铁驼队”。
8月26日,随着X8044次中欧班列(汉堡—武汉)顺利到达武汉吴家山铁路集装箱中心站,中欧班列累计开行数量达到10000列。
在今天的外交部例行记者会上,有记者提问:19日,欧盟委员会公布题为《连接欧洲和亚洲—对欧盟战略的设想》政策文件,这是欧盟迄今就欧亚互联互通提出的最为全面系统的政策主张。文件提出将中国列为首要双边合作对象,并强调中欧互联互通平台合作、欧盟与亚投行的合作等。中方对此有何评论?
发言人耿爽回应表示,我们注意到欧盟昨天发布了关于欧亚互联互通战略的政策文件。文件积极评价亚欧互联互通的意义和对促进亚欧经济增长的作用,倡导“全面、可持续和以规则为基础的互联互通”,并表示愿同包括中国在内的亚洲国家加强合作。我们期待欧盟在促进亚欧互联互通方面发挥建设性作用,对外传递促进亚欧各国经济合作、建设开放型世界经济的积极信号。
他指出,亚欧大陆加强互联互通有利于为地区以及世界经济的增长开辟新的空间,为亚欧国家合作增加新的动力,符合各方的共同利益。中方始终积极支持亚欧互联互通,这也是“一带一路”倡议的一个重要目标。中欧领导人已就推动“一带一路”倡议同欧盟的互联互通规划对接达成共识,双方还建立了中欧互联互通平台。
耿爽强调,我们相信在中欧双方共同努力下,亚欧大陆互联互通一定能够不断取得新进展,不断造福地区各国人民。
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