25 November 2020
- RSIS
- Media Mentions
- The Myth of China’s ‘Debt Trap’ Diplomacy
The Myth of China’s ‘Debt Trap’ Diplomacy
In what Donald Trump might call a case of “fake news,” China has often been accused of using “debt trap” diplomacy to lure developing nations into borrowing more than they can afford to finance infrastructure projects and then seizing strategic assets as loan collateral. In the book China’s Belt and Road Initiative: Impacts on Asia and Policy Agenda, published earlier this year, academics Dr Pradumna B. Rana, an Visiting Associate Professor at RSIS and Xianbai Ji detailed a survey of some 1,000 opinion leaders in Asia that also challenged the debt trap diplomacy thesis. It concluded that 42% of respondents believed that the BRI represented a net benefit for their countries, while only 18% said it was a net cost. The strongest endorsements came from South Asian countries including Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal.
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Last updated on 27/11/2020
