U.S. President Joe Biden’s comment to leaders from the Americas that: “I want to make sure that our closest neighbors know they have a real choice between debt-trap diplomacy and high-quality transparent approaches to infrastructure and to development,” was only a passing moment.
However, it feeds into the persistent use of the debunked concept by U.S. policymakers. Aimed at sending a message to the Global South about the benefits of working with the U.S. as a development partner, it arguably undermines this mission.
Why the “Debt Trap” Narrative Doesn’t Work
- INFORMATION: It strengthens the perception that good information isn’t making it up the chain of command because it is well-known that State Department officials don’t subscribe to the debt trap narrative.
- DISINFORMATION: The use of a debunked allegation makes it harder for the United States to challenge China’s own widespread use of disinformation.
- FLEXIBILITY: It reveals that U.S. foreign policy is increasingly stuck in inflexible narratives that make it harder to respond to emerging realities. This in turn chimes with the dominance of such narratives within the U.S. (for example, a recent CNN poll showed 69% of Republicans still believe the 2020 election was illegitimate.)
- RESPECT: The talking point implies that Global South countries work with China because they’ve been fooled. This is simply insulting to the leaders involved, who know the real barriers to infrastructure financing very well.
- RESPONSIVENESS: The talking point is used to avoid responding to the many more pressing concerns Global South stakeholders have about the global financing system. It therefore, sends the message that the United States isn’t interested in systemic reform and cedes leadership in that conversation to China.
More broadly, the “debt trap” is a key example of the tension between talking points aimed at covering narrative bases within the DC beltway and how those land with stakeholders further afield – increasingly a key challenge as anti-China campaigning increases in the run-up to next year’s election.
