A heated discussion about the merits and dangers of Chinese loans to Africa is now taking place in the aftermath of last weekend’s landmark debt default in Zambia. Analysts, finance professionals, journalists, activists, and various other stakeholders across Africa, the U.S., Europe, and elsewhere are all working through what this means and where we go from here.

But in all of the commentary, podcasts, news reports, tweets, and webinars examining the burgeoning debt crisis over the past few days, Chinese voices have been largely silent.