The EU plans to step up its challenge to China through international spending on infrastructure and other projects as it seeks to rival the economic and political influence that Beijing has won through its Belt and Road Initiative.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen put forward the measure, dubbed “Global Gateway”, in her annual State of the Union speech on Tuesday. In an era of global “hyper-competitiveness” the EU needed to become a “more active global player”, she said.