WASHINGTON, Sept 27 Reuters - U.S. officials are expected to tour Latin America this week to prepare infrastructure projects for the counter to Chinese President Xi Jinping's multi-trillion dollar Belt and Road Initiative.
A delegation of diplomatic and development officials, led by President Joe Biden's Deputy National Security Adviser Daleep Singh, is in Panama, where they plan to meet President Edsonson, before returning later to Colombia and Ecuador, U.S. officials said.
The Group is tasked with turning build Back Better World B 3 W the joint investment initiative announced by the Group of Seven Rich Democracies in June, into a reality. It is the first of many planned listening tours. In addition to meeting with Guillermo Lasso and Panamanian officials, the trip will allow U.S. officials to speak with the private sector, civil society and traditionally marginalized groups, officials said.
The program is directed in areas including climate, health, digital technology and gender equality, officials have said.
A formal U.S. B 3 W launch event is planned for early next year and will include details of some initial projects aimed at narrowing the $40 trillion needed by developing nations by 2035, according to a senior Biden administration official. It is not yet decided how much money the program will allocate.
In just over a month, U.S. officials plan to huddle with allies at the Group of 20 rich countries and COP 26 climate change conferences in Europe, which China is also set to attend. Conversations will continue at the Debate Summit for Democracy in December, Biden is planning.
China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was launched in 2013 by Xi and involves the development and investment initiatives throughout the globe. More than 100 countries have signed agreements with China to cooper in BRI projects like railways, ports and highways.
Very few of the projects make economic sense and they often have very poor labor standards and environmental standards, the Biden administration official said.