Sri Lanka’s Meltdown Puts China’s Strategic Influence In Jeopardy
The decline of the Rajapaksas has adversely hit Chinese fortunes in the Indian Ocean island and sullied its image among other Belt and Road partners. Read More Here
Tag: OBOR
Behind Imran Khan’s Smiles For Beijing Winter Olympics, There’s A Cap In His Hand
The presence of the global cricketing superstar offers China a PR boost as he says Western claims over rights abuses in Xinjiang are ‘not true on the ground’ But with the Pakistani economy in deep trouble, there’s a likely quid pro quo as Khan prepares to make a US$28 billion pitch for new Belt and […]
Pakistan Struggling To Pay Debts To China
Chinese debts are squeezing Pakistan’s pinched finances as external payments are set to balloon to US$14 billion at the end of this financial year. Nearly half is owed to Chinese commercial banks, largely for Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) related projects. Read More Here
The Pakistan Army’s Belt And Road Putsch
For Pakistan, the renewed emphasis on CPEC and the growing role for the Army are double-edged swords. In the short term, paired together, they will inject much-needed aid and investment into the Pakistani economy. And a tighter embrace with China will bolster Pakistan’s security against arch-rival India. But, in the long term… Read Here – […]
China Can Buy Influence, But It Can’t Buy Love
If it’s going to compete with the United States for superpower status, it will have to match America’s soft power… But China has a distinct disadvantage: It’s not as attractive as America. Few people around the world voluntarily listen to Chinese songs, watch Chinese television, use Chinese slang (or any Chinese words), or dress like […]
Belt And Road Re-Emerges in Pakistan With Flurry Of China Deals
China’s Belt and Road program has found new life in Pakistan with $11 billion worth of projects signed in the last month, driven by a former lieutenant general who has reinvigorated the infrastructure plan that’s been languishing since Prime Minister Imran Khan took office two years ago. Read Here – Bloomberg
How The Coronavirus Pandemic Has Trapped China’s Belt And Road Initiative Between A Rock And A Hard Place
Either Beijing will find innovative ways that benefit debtor nations or it will be seen as just another predatory lender in a long history of empire builders. The backlash to China’s presence in lands around the world will soon follow, along with fractured political and economic relationships that become difficult, if not impossible, to mend. […]
China Wants To Put Itself Back At The Centre Of The World
On China’s border with Kazakhstan, a new Silk Road city has sprung up with such speed that Google Earth has scarcely begun to record the high-rises that now float on a winter mist above the steppe…Khorgos has become China’s gateway to Central Asia, and all the way to Europe. Read Here – The Economist
China, Myanmar Tighten Their Belt And Road Ties
China and Myanmar agreed to accelerate several joint infrastructure deals and projects during President Xi Jinping’s historic visit to the country, giving new impetus to commercial relations that have revived under Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Xi visited Myanmar on January 17 and 18, marking the first time a Chinese leader traveled to the […]
China’s Investments The Least Popular Of Its Diplomacy Efforts In South And Central Asia
China’s attempts to woo South and Central Asian countries with a total of US$126 billion of investment in 17 years have proved the most polarising of its efforts to gain regional influence, because of concerns over debt traps, transparency and Chinese labour, according to research in the United States. Read Here – South China Morning Post
looking beyond borders 