About the Blue Dot Initiative
This new initiative was unveiled by US Trade Secretary Wilbur Ross at the Indo-Pacific Business Forum held on the sidelines of the 35th ASEAN Summit in Bangkok in early November 2019.
This is named after astronomer Carl Sagan‘s observation that Earth looked like a ̳pale blue dot‘ when viewed from space.
Blue Dot Network was announced by OPIC‘s Executive Vice President David Bohigian at the Indo-Pacific Business Forum in Bangkok, Thailand (Mahmood, 2019).
Reason to come up with the initiative
The network is an initiative that brings together governments, private sector and civil society to promote high-quality global infrastructure development in an open and inclusive framework which focuses Indo-Pacific countries.
This project will bring together the United States, through the US Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), Japan with the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) and Australia with its Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) (Ascutia, 2019).
In an intention to compete with China‘s multi-billion-dollar Belt and Road initiative.
Role of extra regional power. How and Why?
The US with joint cooperation from Japan and Australia have unveiled Blue Dot Network with the aim to invest and trade more in Asia.
The Blue Dot is essentially expected to serve as a globally recognised evaluation and certification system for roads, ports and bridges with a focus on the Indo-Pacific region.
This intends to be a counter project to counter the BRI, but this initiative by US is still in nascent stage.
The objective of Blue Dot initiative by the US is to extend and strengthen its strategic and economic sphere of influence in the Asia region.
The initiative will develop infrastructure and sustainable economic growth with the help form Japan and Australia which are bigger partner in the Blue Dot initiative primarily focusing on Indo-Pacific region.
Main objective of Japan and Australia to get involved in this BDI is to counter China‘s strategic movements and economical aids to the under developed countries in the Indo-Pacific region.
China has taken the lead in providing development aid in PNG, Solomon Island and in throughout the region in the end of the year 2017 which is alarming for Australia and Japan (Spross, 2018).
On the other hand Japan–China relations seem back on track for mutual state visits in 2018 or 2019, but the future of the bilateral relationship will not be without significant challenges (Madoka Fukuda, 2018).
It is a tri country platform to coordinate and make Blue Dot initiative a success in the region where China has a strong foothold.
Importance of regional actors
The Blue Dot initiative which mainly focuses to build infrastructure and develop this
region needs to take into consideration the countries which are geographically connected to this region and which has economic and political say in this region
The Blue Dot initiative largely ignores India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines who plays a major role in this region politically and economically.
The joint efforts of US, Japan and Australia for the Blue Dot initiative is difficult to fulfill without participation of India, as India is a major power in Asia and if these countries have to counter the China‘s BRI they have to consider India to play a major role in this initiative.
Geographically the Blue Dot initiative will focus infrastructure development in Indo- Pacific and to construct a unified large market and make full use of both international and domestic markets, through political and culture ties with the Indo-Pacific countries they have to involve India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines which plays an important role in this particular region with respect to the initiative.
To execute the future projects of Blue Dot initiative they will need labour, raw material, local companies to take contracts and this will be possible when this project will have integrated holistic approach when they will execute it.
The Indo-Pacific area which has tremendous economic and strategic potential and one needs to influence this area to get the maximum out of it.
China in 2013 started BRI to connect and expand its sphere of influence in this region and to counter this US has proposed the idea of Blue Dot which will be executed in coming years.
Current state of both the initiatives
It is very clear China is ahead largely involved in developing infrastructure and influencing this region.
Comparatively it is easy for China to do so as the geographical proximity favours China in BRI.
If US, Japan and Australia intend to compete China and make a strong foothold in Indo- Pacific they have to consider the role of countries with influence and geopolitical unrest with China which can help the Blue Dot initiative to be a success.
The developing states will have to choose between the Blue Dot network and the BRI.
This new program would become one tool among others for those states that are in dire need of infrastructure and keep the primary manifest to develop the region rather than being two competitive projects for political, economic and strategic influence.
References
Ascutia, R. (2019, November 11). PortCallsASIA. Retrieved from https://www.portcalls.com/us- led-blue-dot-network-launched-to-counter-belt-and-road-initiative/
Madoka Fukuda, H. U. (2018). Maintaining momentum in Japan–China relations. Japan: EASTASIAFORUM.
Mahmood, A. (2019). US brings in ‘Blue Dot Network’ to counter China’s Belt and Road initiative. Business Recorder.
Spross, H. (2018). China and Australia compete for influence in the Pacific. Made for Minds.
Referred internet sources.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-09/blue-dot-network-explainer-us-china-belt-and- road/11682454 https://www.dw.com/en/china-and-australia-compete-for-influence-in-the- pacific/a-46332361
