China Excels While Washington Holds Back America

Jon Basil Utley, a friend of mine from the Cato Institute and publisher of The American Conservative writes that, while China is building infrastructure connections to the world, America can’t even maintain the infrastructure systems it has. Thanks to Washington’s regulations, America is being slowly strangled by red tape. He writes (abridged):

While Washington is seeking a pause in the rapid growth of its international trade, the rest of the world is moving full speed ahead. There is no better example than the fast developing New Silk Road, China’s vast project to facilitate its trade with Europe and connect Central Asia to the world economy. At a recent conference in Washington hosted by the Eurasia Center, speakers reported all sorts of information about the project.

The New Silk Road is a shining symbol of the dynamism of China. Its vast push to commercialize central Asia is expected to become the greatest public works project in history.

U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan Robert Cekuta ended the conference with a strongly worded endorsement of the New Silk Road’s objectives: the prosperity brought about by enhanced trade, education and interaction of peoples along its routes, increased access to information, and a broader worldview more resistant to the poison of extremism. He concluded, “A safer, more secure, more prosperous world with more diversified energy and trade routes… will enable U.S. companies to compete and thrive in new marketplaces.”