London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jul 23, 2025

EU lines up 70 projects to rival China’s Belt and Road infrastructure spending

EU lines up 70 projects to rival China’s Belt and Road infrastructure spending

Taking on China’s Belt and Road initiative, EU prioritizes 70 international infrastructure projects.

The European Union’s riposte to China’s web of trade and infrastructure projects spanning the globe is finally getting real.

Europe's flagship Global Gateway projects seek to offer developing countries an alternative to China's strategic largesse in the Belt and Road Initiative, through which Beijing projects its power along strategic trade routes via port developments, energy schemes and telecoms networks.

The first projects of EU's Global Gateway include a digital cable under the Black Sea; a submarine optical fiber cable to connect the Mediterranean and Northern African countries, and a dam and hydroelectric plant in Cameroon.

Those are just some of the 70 projects that the EU is prioritizing this year under the Global Gateway, according to a document obtained by POLITICO.

“Global Gateway is becoming concrete. Now we mean business," one senior EU official said of the project hit list.

The Global Gateway aims to mobilize up to €300 billion in public and private funds by 2027 to finance EU infrastructure projects abroad.

By comparison, China has invested nearly $2.3 trillion into nearly 4,000 overseas investment and construction projects since 2005 — giving Beijing a big head start just as the EU launches its effort to extend its economic reach.

Belt and Road projects account for around $370 billion of that, the American Enterprise Institute estimates, with the pace of outlays slowing due to the economic impact of Beijing’s policy of suppressing the coronavirus pandemic that were only eased late last year.


Project selection


The West has faced repeated criticism that its efforts to challenge the Belt and Road are too fragmented and slow.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told a meeting of EU foreign ministers last month that the bloc needed to raise its game and deliver visible results on the ground. That meeting led to the selection of the first batch of projects.

"This shows what Global Gateway will look like in practice on the ground in 2023," said a second EU official.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc needed to raise its game


Some of the Global Gateway projects are low-hanging fruit, with concrete steps in prospect this year such as starting construction work, signing a memorandum of understanding or lining up financing. Meanwhile, the EU will start laying the groundwork for other projects in the next coming years.

The first official stressed that the list did not reflect any geopolitical choices. "There is no political messaging behind this," the official said.

But there are some sensitive projects which may have geopolitical ramifications.

The EU has several projects planned in China's backyard, such as an energy transition partnership with Indonesia and a digital connectivity project in the Philippines. The same goes for some projects in Russia's backyard, such as a hydrogen project in Kazakhstan, a transport link in Central Asia, two projects in Mongolia and a hydro-power plant in Tajikistan.

The list of priorities was first discussed by EU diplomats last Friday. There will be further talks this week, with the aim of wrapping up the list in the week of February 6, the two EU officials said.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
×