US won’t send officials to China’s Belt and Road forum, calls it ‘vanity project’

The US will not send officials to a Beijing summit on Chinese President Xi Jinping’s global infrastructure project, the US embassy said on Wednesday. Leaders from 37 countries and officials from dozens more are expected to attend the Belt and Road Forum from Thursday to Saturday. However, Washington has dismissed the initiative as a “vanity project.” The US “has no plans to send officials from Washington to the Belt and Road Forum,” a US embassy spokesperson told AFP. “We call upon all countries to ensure that their economic diplomacy initiatives adhere to internationally-accepted norms and standards, promote sustainable, inclusive development, and advance good governance and strong economic institutions,” the spokesperson said.