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On Sunday, the leaders of the major Western economies of the G7 will support Western competitors to participate in China’s “One Belt One Road” initiative, planning to mobilize billions of dollars to help developing countries deal with climate change.
Joe Biden has been calling for new sources of infrastructure financing for poor countries and a “democratic” alternative to Chinese loans, which is seen in the West as a tool for spreading Beijing’s influence.
This G7 summit Cornwall will agree to what the summit host Boris Johnson’s allies call the “Green Belt and Road” plan, and rich countries will help fund plans to reduce carbon emissions.
Johnson hopes to focus on supporting the green initiative and has been cautiously calling the initiative an “anti-China” initiative. British officials said they hope G7 can “show what we support, not who we oppose.”
But the White House supports a broader infrastructure support program, and has made it clear that it hopes to provide a new balance of China’s influence.
A British official said: “Our focus is slightly narrower.”
On Saturday, the leaders of the Group of Seven nations held talks to coordinate China’s strategy. An official who listened to the briefing of the talks said: “It is generally agreed that we should cooperate with Beijing on issues such as climate change, global supply chain competition, and human rights issues.”
The “Rebuild a Better World” plan will allow countries to better finance low-carbon projects such as wind farms and railways.
The plan aims to increase climate funding from multilateral development banks and the private sector. It is called the “Green Marshall Plan” by some officials, but on a smaller scale.
The leaders of the G7 countries are expected to commit to increasing their contribution to international climate finance, in order to achieve the set goal of raising US$100 billion from rich countries every year, and to help poor countries support green growth.
However, an official who watched the discussion said: “The details on how to achieve this are short.”
A senior US official said on Friday: “The United States and many of our partners and friends around the world have long been skeptical of China’s “Belt and Road” initiative.
“We have seen the Chinese government show a lack of transparency, poor environment and labor standards, and practices that make many countries worse off.
“But until now, we have not provided a positive alternative that reflects our values, standards and business methods.”
Environmental groups criticized the lack of detail in the financing and operation of the plan, leading some to warn that it was nothing more than an empty promise.
Climate change is one of the main priorities of the G7 leaders at the summit, but the leaders are working hard to reach agreement on funding. Only Germany, Canada, Japan and Italy are expected to announce new climate funding in Cornwall.
G7 leaders will pledge to phase out gasoline and diesel vehicles and close all coal-fired power plants that do not use emission capture technology as soon as possible. They will also pledge to protect 30% of the earth’s land and sea by 2030.
With the United Kingdom hosting the COP26 climate summit in November, the summit to be held in Cornwall this weekend is expected to preview how the world’s largest industrialized democracies will respond to the climate crisis on the international stage.
Several climate organizations disagree, saying that the “rebuild better” plan appears vague and weak.
“We still don’t know the timetable or scale of these announcements. Without these, these are just empty promises,” said Catherine Petenger, the interim head of the UK Climate Action Network.
People familiar with the process say that the UK is relatively late in its efforts to integrate its green infrastructure plans. An official who watched the G7 deliberations on Saturday said that Johnson once seemed to have confused the names of various plans.
Johnson said: “The G7 has an unprecedented opportunity to promote the global green industrial revolution, and it may change our way of life.”
All G7 countries are committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050, making climate policy an area of broad consensus. But disagreements over issues such as coal and climate financing donations still lead to difficult negotiations on the final language of the leaders’ communiqué.
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