## 2 Comparison of BRI with Other Global and Regional Infrastructure Initiatives
### Infrastructure Objectives  
Differences in infrastructure focus reflect deeper divergences in development philosophies and priorities, strategic interests and comparative advantages. These initiatives often balance trade-offs and complementarities between competing goals: maximising economic efficiency versus promoting social welfare, expanding geopolitical influence versus minimising security risks, and pursuing rapid development versus ensuring environmental sustainability and fair labour conditions. The emphasis on quality infrastructure and private funding models are areas where PGII, GG, FOIP/PQI and 3 SI share similarities with each other and where they differ from the BRI's approach, which focuses on \"standard\" infrastructure and state-funded financing models ([PERSON], 2021). Both PGII and GG are framed as normative contrasts to the BRI's state-led model, particularly in terms of democratic values, transparency, high standards, and equal partnerships. The language of EU fact sheets and speeches places stronger emphasis on strengthening supply chain resilience, particularly by reducing strategic dependencies on China. GG is framed as an EU-external cooperation strategy aimed at securing sustainable and reliable infrastructure connections. In contrast, PGII--while also globally oriented--places relatively more focus on the Global South and includes strong domestic policy framing within the U.S., emphasising job creation and middle-class economic security ([PERSON], 2023). As highlighted in a textual analysis of official declarations, 3 SI shares similarities with the BRI in its focus on overarching goals such as connectivity, commerciality, and complementarity. However, while these themes appear with comparable proportional frequency across both initiatives, the term 'cooperation' appears significantly less frequently in 3 SI documents relative to the BRI, suggesting a particularly strong emphasis on cooperative rhetoric within BRI communications. Although the BRI includes a maritime component through the 21 st Century Maritime Silk Road, its primary emphasis remains on trade facilitation and economic infrastructure, particularly port construction and supply chain connectivity. In contrast, FOIP's maritime pillar centres on security cooperation, freedom of navigation, and maritime law enforcement ([PERSON] & [PERSON], 2023). In addition, 3 SI also holds significant geopolitical and energy security implications. A key initiative is the North-South Gas Corridor, which will facilitate the supply of American liquified natural gas (LNG) to Central Europe. This project is poised to reduce the region's dependence on Russian gas imports, particularly in Central and Eastern European countries, and challenges Germany's plans to establish a gas trading hub with Russia ([PERSON], 2019). Plans to transition away from fossil fuels toward renewable energy are also underway, driven in part by the Three Seas region's significant potential for solar photovoltaic deployment ([PERSON] & [PERSON], 2024). While the alternative initiatives share broad normative alignment around rule-based order, connectivity, quality investments and support for developing countries, FOIP places greater emphasis on maritime security, and 3 SI focuses more heavily on energy security --distinguishing them in strategic orientation from PGII and GG. In contrast to globally scoped initiatives such as PGII and GG (albeit with certain regional priorities), FOIP/PQI and 3 SI are primarily regionally anchored strategies aimed at enhancing connectivity and autonomy in geoeconomic-sensitive zones--the Indo-Pacific/Asia and Central and Eastern Europe, respectively. Infrastructure can be broadly categorised into (i) hard physical infrastructure (e.g., roads, railways, ports), (ii) ICT infrastructure (e.g., broadband, mobile networks), and (iii) soft infrastructure (e.g., border efficiency, legal frameworks, institutional quality). While both physical and ICT infrastructure fall under the \"hard\" category, their impacts differ sharply. [PERSON] et al.