Plans on for ‘parallel’ Belt and Road

Australia, the U.S., India and Japan are talking about establishing a joint regional infrastructure scheme as an alternative to China’s Belt and Road Initiative in an attempt to counter Beijing’s spreading influence, the Australian Financial Review reported on Monday, citing a senior U.S. official.

The unnamed official was quoted as saying that the plan involving the four partners was still “nascent” and “won’t be ripe enough to be announced' during Australian Prime Minister Turnbull’s visit to the U.S. later this week.