The New Silk Road: Its very name harkens the distant past, conjuring whatever the imagination might bequeath, of empires and riches of a mythic past. China’s grand idea for the 21st century would connect Africa, Asia, and Europe through cyberspace and physical space, promising prosperity and innovation. One Belt, One Road, or Belt and Road, pledges a massive $1 trillion infrastructure investment in roads, ports, energy, and telecommunications, a bold vision for economic development. Will the benefits of One Belt, One Road be widely shared or flow mostly to China? Will this unprecedented influx of development financing improve health for all who travel along the New Silk Road?
Here's how the plan breaks down.
The European Union will invest in fiber optic cables between countries, satellite communications and cloud infrastructure to better facilitate global cooperation, data sharing and AI development. It will provide an additional €15 million ($17 million) to a program that aims to extend work on a 35,000 km (22,000 mile) high-speed fiber optic network to the rest of Latin America.
The bloc plans to integrate its energy systems, transition to renewables and partner with other countries to boost renewable hydrogen production. It will also work to eliminate barriers to the international trade of hydrogen. It has committed €2.4 billion ($2.7 billion) in grants to Sub-Saharan Africa and €1 billion ($1.2 billion) to North Africa to boost renewable energy production and energy efficiency.
In perhaps the most direct challenge to China's initiative, the European Union will also invest in transport infrastructure — railways, roads, ports, airports and border crossings — to help develop countries and diversify their supply chains. It said it would provide an additional €4.6 billion ($5.2 billion) toward sustainable transport links, including establishing a trans-Mediterranean network connecting North African countries to the bloc.
In response to the pandemic, the new EU plan aims to help countries develop local vaccine manufacturing capacity and diversify their pharmaceutical supply chains. It did not offer specific funding targets, but earmarked Africa as a priority, and said it would collaborate with the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.