How the Chinese Debt Trap Narrative Spreads in Washington

Jon Alterman, director of the Middle East program at CSIS, speaking during a webinar on China and the Middle East hosted by the Middle East Policy Institute. Image via MEPI.

A webinar convened on Friday by the Middle East Policy Council in Washington, D.C. highlights how the Chinese debt trap narrative has become an accepted truth among U.S. stakeholders, despite a lack of evidence that Beijing intentionally loads up developing countries with unsustainable levels of debt with an aim to either seize strategic assets or exert political influence.

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