US President Donald Trump’s new Board of Peace, which convenes for the first time Thursday, reflects the inroads Washington has made in Central Asia and other regions where China has sought to increase its influence.
A bulk of the board’s 27 signatories belong to what one analyst called a “big beautiful belt” stretching from Morocco to Kazakhstan, Nikkei wrote.
The White House’s efforts could counter the growing clout Beijing wields in some of those countries through the infrastructure-focused Belt and Road Initiative.
But the Board of Peace, which Trump has cast as a UN alternative, has a somewhat obscure mandate, and its marquee initiative — rebuilding Gaza — faces myriad hurdles.