Meanwhile, in Laos...
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China has been very aggressive with this type of "diplomacy". I mentioned it as one of the causes of the recent problems in Sri Lanka.
China gets an indirect control over a country through these infrastructure projects.
I am sure they will provide some sort of debt relief to Laos, which will further in-debt Laos to China.
A vicious circle.
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More of the same from mainland China
A Crumbling Metro Reveals Failed Promise of China’s Billions in Africa
A $475 million light-rail system serving Ethiopia’s Addis Ababa shows how some China-funded infrastructure investments across the continent are now suffering from neglect.
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From Kenya to Nigeria and beyond, China over the past decade has loaned billions across Africa and other parts of the so-called Global South as part of its drive to gain sway and counter US influence, build markets for its products and gain access to the natural resources needed to drive its economy back home. The US says the money simply leaves host governments mired in debt.
The project may have prioritized short-term political goals over long-term operational sustainability, says Frangton Chiyemura, a lecturer in Global Development at the UK Open University’s Development Policy and Practice Group who studies China-Africa relations and Chinese-funded projects in Africa.
