Should India join the Blue Dot Network to counter Xi Jinpings Pet Project  the BRI?
The inaugural meeting of the Blue Dot Networks Executive Advisory Group (ECG) was held recently, signaling a shift towards relaunching the two-year US-led initiative. Experts argue that India may be interested in joining the Blue Dot network to counter Xi Jinpings ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). According to aPress releaseby the US Department of State, more than 180 representatives participated and discussed ideas on how the Blue Dot Network (BDN) initiative could help close the global infrastructure gap and create high-quality sustainable infrastructure. quality in emerging markets. The Blue Dot network was first unveiled to the public at the Indo-Pacific Business Forum in Bangkok during the 35th ASEAN Summit in 2019 hosted by Thailand. The American International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) along with the Japan Bank for International Cooperation and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade have launched an infrastructure initiative to enhance transparency and sustainability. Dubbed the Michelin Star for infrastructure projects, the Blue Dot Network aims to promote high quality and reliable standards for global infrastructure development by involving governments, the private sector and civil society. Participating members will approve projects that qualify the standards of excellence set up by the network with global principles in mind. At the heart of the project is the development of a certification mechanism to identify and distinguish quality infrastructure projects that demonstrate and maintain strong standards for development. This certificate will serve as proof of quality assurance and further promote private investment. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), an intergovernmental body of 38 member countries, is the technical partner of the BDN. Since the launch of Chinese President Xi Jinpings ambitious BRI in 2013, investments in infrastructure and development have taken the form of geopolitical gains. Through a transcontinental project valued at over US $ 1 trillion, China has made inroads into 138 low- and middle-income economies and involved 29 international organizations. According toBRI Investment Report 2020, last year alone, China invested nearly US $ 47 billion in the world, almost 54% less than in 2019 due to the challenges of the pandemic. On the other hand, the US-led Blue Dot Network aims to cover an investment gap of nearly $ 2.5 to $ 3.5 trillion in projects related to developing economies. The United States has criticized Beijings offensive charm strategy since its inception and has been proactive in reaching out to friendly states in the Indo-Pacific and beyond. Launched as part of the Indo-Pacific strategy, the Biden administration seeks to engage with regional allies, including India, which has rejected the Chinese BRI and is currently embroiled in a stalemate with its neighbor. Exploring the QUAD-Plus framework could be an option to rally long-term allies such as South Korea, New Zealand and Indonesia to contain Chinas growing influence in the region. The US Senate recentlypastindustrial policy legislation to strengthen the countrys investments in advanced technologies and launched a commercial supply chain strike force to counter its competitor in trade and investment policy. According to analysts, the Blue Dot Network could offer a unique opportunity for India in the post-Galwan Valley scenario. New Delhi, which had largely positioned itself as an anti-BIS nation, might find the US-led initiative attractive and in line with the QUAD concept, says Dr Jagannath P. Panda, a researcher at the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defense Studies and Analyzes, New Delhi. India opposes the BRI because it not only ignores the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other countries, but also ignores universally guided norms that ensure openness and equality in the region, he said. declared. The main feature of the BDN is that it follows a project investment approach rather than the country engagement led by the BIS, which has fostered debt traps, Panda,written in an articletitled India, Blue Dot Network and Quad Plus Computing. The first meeting of the BDN Executive Advisory Group is a positive sign to move the global certification process forward and has the potential to become a strategy that runs counter to Chinas neocolonial ambitions. What form the network takes depends on its process of expansion and the efforts of the Biden administration to ensure that it does not become inactive again. Written by Apoorva Jain  READ MORE