Originally posted by the Voice of America. Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America, a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in the public domain. US Seen Falling Short Countering China's Rising Geopolitical Clout Steve Herman Despite initiatives by thepreviousandcurrentadministrations, there are fresh concerns theUnited Statesisfalling short to counter China's rising geopolitical influence. Beijing'sevolvingBelt and Road Initiative (BRI), for the past eight years, has financed projectsglobally, includingroads, railways, power plants and telecommunications infrastructure. "U.S. inaction,'Żas much as Chinese assertiveness,'Żis responsible for the economic and strategic predicament in which the United States finds itself. U.S. withdrawal helped create the vacuum that China filled with BRI," according to a report of an independent task force released Tuesday by the Council on Foreign Relations. "Although the United States long ago identified an interest in promoting infrastructure, trade and connectivity throughout Asia and repeatedly invoked the imagery of the Silk Road, it has not met the inherent needs of the region.Its own lending to and investment in many BRI countries was limited and is now declining," [1]according to the council's assessment. China's multitrillion-dollar initiativeis"unbound geographically so it is nowanywhere and everywhere"andhasmoved beyond traditional infrastructure,David Sacks, a research analyst at CFR andone of the report's co-authors,told VOA. FILE - Clerks stand at a display of goods at a Belt and Road Products New Year's Marketplace at a shopping mall in Beijing, Jan. 10, 2020. The market showcases products created from countries and regions involved in China's Belt and Road Initiative. BRI is "boosting China's ability to project its power across the region and the world,"saidJackLew, who previously was a U.S. Treasury secretary and White House chief of staff."U.S.policymakersneed to offer alternatives to BRI where it canandtoeducate other countries about what it entails and push back when necessary." China is now perceived to be more powerful than the United States in parts of Africa and Asia because of BRI,saidformer U.S. Trade Representative General Counsel Jennifer Hillman,one of the other authorsof the CFR report. BRI encompasses the land-based Silk Road Economic Belt (with digital, health and "green"subsets), the 21stCentury Maritime Silk Road and the Polar Silk Road. "We have to get back in the game,"withthe United Statesjoining or rejoining trade agreementsit left during the Donald Trump presidency, said Hillman,who was among those speaking Tuesdayat anonlineforum about the CFR report. "China has made investing in infrastructure a high priority. The United States has not,"Lewsaidduring the event. SALPIEInitiative CurrentU.S. officials say the administrationof President Joe Bidenisgoing to change that. "Competition with Chinaisa factor that is encouraging the United States to up its diplomatic game across the board," a senior administration official told VOA. During the Trump administration, relatively modest initiatives were taken to counter BRI, includingtheInternational Development Finance Corporation,the Blue Dot network for infrastructure project certification and a U.S.-Taiwan infrastructure initiative, as well as the reauthorization ofthe Export-Import Bank. "There was a lot of rebranding, but there weren't additional resources given to these initiatives,"Sackssaid. TheBidenadministration this week launched theSmall and Less Populous Island Economies (SALPIE) Initiative,announcing it willstrengthen U.S.economiccollaboration with island countries and territories in the Caribbean, North Atlanticand Pacific regions. "It's important to strengthen our alliances,particularlyamongsmaller countries that might otherwisecome undera certain amount of pressurefrom China," a senior administration official told VOA on Tuesday. The White Houseofficialannouncement of SALPIE notes the importance of"countering predatory investment practices by malign actors." National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and National Economic Council Director BrianDeeseco-hostedMondaya virtual eventwithenvoysfrom island countries and territories, invitingthemto partner withWashingtonunder the SALPIE Initiative,whichbrings 29 U.S. departments and agencies together to coordinate ongoing and future engagements. The administration, laterthis week, isconveninga meeting involving those29entities "to actually make this kind of meaningful and real and operational," a senior official explained. Another senior U.S. official explained SALPIE "is a different approach than Blue Dot and some of these other initiatives," promising that"it really does leverage the convening power that we have from hereto ensure that we are able to implement in a way that's effectively addressing the prioritieswe've outlined." The status oftheTrump-era[2]Blue Dotinitiative, which included Australia and Japan as the only announced partners with the United States, remains unclear.It retains a presence on the State Department website,but there is little other evidence of its continuing existence. "Blue Dotwas notresourcedanditremains to be seen whether this new initiative[SALPIE]is resourced," Sackssaid."Whatwe need is not only kind of a declaratory policy and to go out publicly and say,'We want to compete, we want to be the partner of choice,'but we need actual funding and resources behind it." The Quad At the regional level in Asia, someadditionalcounterweightsto BRIarelikely to beappliedbythe yet informal Quadrilateral Security Dialogueamong Australia, India,Japanand the United States. FILE - President Joe Biden speaks during a virtual meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, from the State Dining Room of the White House, March 12, 2021. "Why not use theQuadasa mechanism to promote infrastructure in Asiaandestablish an infrastructure fund that has billions of dollars behind it to go do this?" Sacksasked."You know these are the right partners" with the potential to add South Korea and Taiwan. While the Biden administration'splans to counterBRI may be ambitious and sprawling, there is concern it will not receive sufficient attentiondue to a lack of centralization and influential leadership. Thus,the idea for an "infrastructure czar" to orchestrate the U.S. response to China's global investment ambitions. "It'shardforthe State Department or the Department of Commerce tohave that convening power," Sackssaid."Sometimes it's not helpful to have czars on so many issues,but I do think--given the scale of the challengeand the need for a coordinated interagency response --it might make sense to havein the National Security Councilorthe National Economic Councilan infrastructure czar whoreports to thepresident." Biden has alreadyappointedso-called czars for climate policy, the border with Mexico and the COVID-19economic rescue plan. There isalsosimilardiscussionaboutselecting officialsto oversee cyberpolicyand for busting monopolies. References 1. https://www.cfr.org/report/chinas-belt-and-road-implications-for-the-united-states 2. https://www.state.gov/blue-dot-network/ .