Growing concerns in US over Victoria’s ‘quite foolish’ Belt and Roads agreement

There is now increasing concern resonating in the United States about Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews’ “quite foolish decision” to subscribe to China’s Belt and Road Initiative according to Liberal Senator Sarah Henderson.

The Andrews government has been dodging questions about whether any of the state's $24 billion coronavirus rescue package would be borrowed from China.

China has offered similar Belt and Roads loans to vulnerable countries in the region, as well as countries like Sri Lanka which was unable to repay the loans used to build a new port at Colombo so the communist country repossessed it.

Ms Henderson told Sky News host Sharri Markson the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has expressed “very deep concerns about Daniel Andrews’ decision to enter into the Belt and Road Initiative”.

The Senator also criticised Victorian Federal MPs and has called on specifically Labor MPs to “take a stand against this agreement”.

“It’s very disappointing we’ve seen a pathetic response from the likes of Richard Marles and Victorian MPs,” she said.

“There is absolutely no doubt that this is part of China’s global foreign strategy to encroach itself into other countries and cause harm”.

Senator Henderson said the Premier should “simply not be interfering in foreign policy”.

Image: AP

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