China’s Debt Trap Diplomacy: Legacy and Evolving Strategy

China’s Debt Trap Diplomacy: Legacy and Evolving Strategy

China’s rise as a global lender – notably through its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) – has sparked debate over China’s debt-trap diplomacy. Proponents of the theory argue that Beijing uses oversized loans to coerce host countries into ceding strategic assets or influence. Critics counter that such claims are exaggerated and that China is often a necessary financier when Western funds are unavailable. In reality, Chinese lending (which the U.S. C…