China tried to project itself as a helping hand to developing countries in the case of infrastructure and economic development through its Belt and Road Initiative but only just to lure them into their debt trap. To counter China’s BRI, G7 announced an infrastructure programme as an alternative programme for the developing world.
Valerio Fabbri, writing in Portal Plus, a Slovenian publication said that various media publications have highlighted instances of disillusionment vis-a-vis BRI and many of the recipient states of Chinese investments have rued China’s debt trap diplomacy as an outcome of the BRI. And the countries which have fallen prey to this are usually low- and middle-income countries like Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Sri Lanka and Pakistan’s examples have shown how the BRI has affected the economy of the country. Sri Lanka took a huge loan during its 2015 election and then for the Hambantota Port, Colombo turned to China for help. After the negotiation on the defense aspect, ensuring that China’s military was able to get access to the port, Beijing came for help. Meanwhile, in Pakistan, to ensure the security of the flagship China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the Chinese government bypassed Islamabad to reach out to the Baloch separatists. Yet, Beijing has been less than enthusiastic when it comes to ensuring Pakistan’s economic stability.
