China infrastructure called impetus for US
US business leaders pointed to China as an example in a push to upgrade airports, roads and bridges at home as President Donald Trump kicked off his infrastructure week.
On Wednesday, Trump went to Cincinnati, Ohio, to advance his $1 trillion infrastructure program.
"The American people deserve the best infrastructure anywhere in the world," Trump told the audience.
"We are a nation that created the Panama Canal, the Transcontinental Railroad, and the - if you think about this - the great highway system, the interstate highway system. We don't do that anymore. We really don't. We don't even fix the old highways anymore," he said.
Trump recalled that when he traveled across the US during the presidential campaign, he saw crumbling infrastructure.
"I met with communities that were desperate for new roads and new bridges. Bridges were so dangerous, they couldn't use them," he said. "They were worried they'd fall down. And you've seen that happen.
"We will create the first-class infrastructure our country and our people deserve," he said.
Trump said his new vision for American infrastructure will rebuild the country by generating $1 trillion in infrastructure investment. And at least $200 billion of the $1 trillion plan will come from direct federal investment.
Trump promised to work with states, local governments and private industry to "ensure that these new federal funds are matched by significant additional dollars for maximum efficiency and accountability".
The White House has designated this week "infrastructure week". It began on Monday with Trump announcing his decision to privatize the nation's air traffic control system from the Federal Aviation Administration.
On Thursday, Trump is scheduled to talk to governors and mayors at the White House to discuss the use of tax dollars for infrastructure projects.
While Trump did not mention China in his speech in Cincinnati, he did a month ago in an interview with a group of conservative journalists. "What China's done is incredible," he said. "We're like a Third World nation."
On Tuesday, Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein tweeted to praise China's infrastructure to remind fellow Americans of the "sorry state" of their roads, bridges and airports. "Arrived in China, as always impressed by condition of airport, roads, cell service, etc. US needs to invest in infrastructure to keep up!" Blankfein said in a tweet.
chenweihua@chinadailyusa.com
(China Daily USA 06/08/2017 page1)
