
Pompeo announced a $113 million fund to support digital, energy, and infrastructure connectivity, countering concerns about the administration’s underappreciation of diplomacy and development in U.S. foreign policy.
But set against the trillion-dollar scale of the Belt and Road initiative, this new fund will struggle to compete.
Additionally, Pompeo did not explain how the U.S. would leverage its diplomatic ties across the Indo-Pacific to further its stated goals. He emphasized the importance of private-sector investment, but said nothing about support, or even diplomatic endorsement, from other interested countries.
Source: U.S. economic strategy for Indo-Pacific doesn’t stack up to China’s – Axios