US Seen Failing to Counter China’s Rising International Influence

There are growing concerns that the United States is failing to counter China's rising power around the world.

For the past eight years, China's Belt and Road Initiative, BRI, has financed many international projects, including roads, railways, electric power and telecommunications systems.

The report released Tuesday by the Council on Foreign Relations also said the "U.S. withdrawal¹" created an opportunity for China to fill with BRI.

It said that the U.S. knew of the importance of building in Asia but did not try to meet the needs of the area. American "lending to and investment in many BRI countries was limited and is now declining," it said.

David Sacks is a researcher at the CFR and one of the writers of the report.

He told VOA that China is now "anywhere and everywhere."

The BRI is increasing "China's ability to project its power across the region and the world," said Jack² Lew. He was a U.S. Treasury³ secretary and the White House chief of staff during the Obama Administration.

"U.S. policymakers need to offer alternatives to BRI where it can and to educate other countries about what it entails⁵ and push back when necessary," he said.

China is now considered to be more powerful than the United States in parts of Africa and Asia because of the BRI, said former U.S. Trade Representative General Counsel Jennifer Hillman. She was also one of the writers of the CFR report.

The BRI is made up of the land-based Silk Road Economic Belt, the 21st Century Maritime⁶ Silk Road and the Polar Silk Road.

Hillman said the U.S. must rejoin trade agreements it left during the Trump⁷ presidency⁸. She made the comment Tuesday during an online discussion about the report.

SALPIE Initiative

U.S. officials say the new administration of President Joe Biden is going to change the way America is seen.

A top administration official told VOA that competition with China is pushing the United States to intensify⁹ its diplomatic efforts.

The Trump administration countered the BRI with mostly small projects, including the Blue Dot initiative. Sacks said none of those efforts was given enough money to succeed.

The Biden administration this week launched the Small and Less Populous¹⁰ Island Economies Initiative, SALPIE. It aims to strengthen U.S. economic efforts with island countries and territories in the Caribbean, North Atlantic and Pacific regions.

"It's important to strengthen our alliances...among smaller countries that might otherwise come under a certain amount of pressure from China," a top administration official told VOA on Tuesday.

National Security Advisor¹¹ Jake Sullivan and National Economic Council Director Brian Deese led an online event Monday with officials from island countries and territories. They were invited to partner with Washington under the SALPIE Initiative. It will bring together 29 U.S. government agencies to work on future projects.

Words in This Story

counter - v. something that is made or done as a defense¹² against or response to something else

opportunity - n. an amount of time or a situation in which something can be done

decline - v. to become worse in condition or quality

region – n. a part of a country, of the world, etc., that is different or separate from other parts in some way

alternative – n. a choice or an option

entail⁴ – v. to have (something) as a part, step, or result

1 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

2 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

3 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

4 entail   

vt.使承担，使成为必要，需要

参考例句：

• Such a decision would entail a huge political risk.这样的决定势必带来巨大的政治风险。
• This job would entail your learning how to use a computer.这工作将需要你学会怎样用计算机。

5 entails   

使…成为必要( entail的第三人称单数 )； 需要； 限定继承； 使必需

参考例句：

• The job entails a lot of hard work. 这工作需要十分艰苦的努力。
• This job entails a lot of hard work. 这项工作需要十分努力。

6 maritime   

adj.海的，海事的，航海的，近海的，沿海的

参考例句：

• Many maritime people are fishermen.许多居于海滨的人是渔夫。
• The temperature change in winter is less in maritime areas.冬季沿海的温差较小。

7 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

8 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

9 intensify   

vt.加强；变强；加剧

参考例句：

• We must intensify our educational work among our own troops.我们必须加强自己部队的教育工作。
• They were ordered to intensify their patrols to protect our air space.他们奉命加强巡逻，保卫我国的领空。

10 populous   

adj.人口稠密的，人口众多的

参考例句：

• London is the most populous area of Britain.伦敦是英国人口最稠密的地区。
• China is the most populous developing country in the world.中国是世界上人口最多的发展中国家。

11 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

12 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。