China's "railway dream," estimated to exceed 10% of Nepal's GDP, will push Nepal further into economic subordination and exacerbate South Asia's security risks.
The poorly constructed Pokhara airport, which has engulfed Nepal in massive debt, illustrates the risks of importing China's infrastructure-at-any-cost model.
China did little on its BRI pledges to Manila but the immediate provocation was its aggressive attacks near the Second Thomas Shoal in the Philippines EEZ.
China's massive Belt and Road initiative cost a trillion dollars and failed to achieve any goals. Now, Xi Jinping is recasting it as "small and beautiful."
China and Russia cannot be trusted as they wantonly disregard international law and human rights and collude to oppose the existing international order.
China's Belt and Road project has created enormous debt at home while funding poorly used infrastructure projects in countries that cannot repay their loans.
To counter China's destructive Belt and Road Initiative, G7 nations should lead in infrastructure financing based on transparency and fairness.
Beijing's growing influence on the Maldives, already ensnared in China's debt trap, could pose a serious security threat to countries like India and Japan.
The IMEC corridor will secure regional supply chains, increase trade accessibility, and allow more emphasis on environmental and social issues, say members.
After granting huge loans to poorer countries in dire need of developmental funds, China offers to relax loan terms in exchange for "strategic concessions."
Sri Lanka remains extremely vulnerable to China's predatory economic tentacles, with grave implications for key stakeholders such as India and Japan.
The Chinese railway project has left Indonesia in a quagmire of mounting costs and missed deadlines. There are also concerns about the railway's profitability.