Biden Renews Debt Trap Allegation Against China Even Though the Charge Has Been Widely Debunked

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during the inaugural Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity Leaders' Summit at the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on November 3, 2023. Jim WATSON / AFP

U.S. President Joe Biden resurfaced the widely discredited debt trap accusation against China as part of a larger effort to differentiate Washington’s economic engagement strategy in the Western Hemisphere from that of Beijing’s.

The president made the claim on Friday during his opening address at the inaugural summit of the Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity (APEP) — a new Latin American-Caribbean initiative that, in part, aims to counter China’s growing economic influence in the region.

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by Eric Olander

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