A globally connected network of solar and wind energy could provide three times the global energy demand by 2050 at a lower cost than independent national power systems. This is the finding of a study led by the Chinese Academy of Sciences in collaboration with researchers from the United States and Denmark.
The study focused on how areas with high solar and wind capacity (such as deserts) can be linked ...
Category: Debt Trap
Biden Administration Grabs Last Chance to Push Debt Trap Narrative
U.S. President Joe Biden argued on Wednesday that the United States is striving to be a qualitatively different investor from China in Africa. In making this case, administration officials couldn’t resist one last reference to a meme cherished by Democrats and ...
Senior Commerce Ministry Official Says China Not the Main Creditor in Africa, Refutes Debt Trap Charge
The top Africa official at China's powerful Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) forcefully pushed back against U.S. and Indian accusations that Beijing engages in predatory lending on the continent. Shen Xiang, MOFCOM's director of West Asia and Africa, responded to a question ...
WEEK IN REVIEW: The Chinese Supermarket Scandal in Nigeria
Nigerian consumer protection authorities shut a Chinese supermarket in the capital, Abuja after a video went viral showing the store refusing entry to local residents. The scandal sparked outrage online and was among the top stories of the week on national ...
Pentagon’s Top General for U.S. Forces in Africa Isn’t as Worried About Chinese Bases and Debt Traps as He Used to Be
The Pentagon's commander for U.S. forces in Africa, Marine Corps General Michael Langley, was once very worried about Chinese "debt traps" in Africa and the prospect that the PLA was looking to build a new base on Africa's Atlantic Coast. But ...
Why Biden’s Use of ‘Debt Trap’ Was so Awkward
This weekend, U.S. President Joe Biden made clear that, no matter how often it’s debunked, the “debt trap” will never die. Without recapping the entire debate, the talking point implies that Global South countries work with China because they’re ill-informed or have ...
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
All it Takes is a Simple Google Search to Confirm the China Debt Trap Meme Isn’t Real
President Joe Biden's latest reference to Chinese "debt traps" is part of a broader pattern among high-level U.S. legislative, government and military officials to level the charge against China's lending practices. It's odd that they continue to make the claim since it's been ...
Why the Repeated Claims of Chinese Debt Trap Diplomacy is So Damaging to U.S. Foreign Policy
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.
New Boston University Report Challenges Chinese Debt Trap Meme That’s Still Popular With U.S. Government Officials
Researchers at Boston University's Global Development Policy Center did not mince words in a report published this week, in which they stated that "debt trap diplomacy is not a driver of Chinese lending and overseas development finance." For anyone who follows ...
It’s China, Not Africa That Could be Facing a Debt Trap: Report
At 12% of Africa’s total external debt, China didn’t cause the current wave of debt distress hitting the continent. But the crisis presents Beijing with a dilemma: should it strongarm these countries to get its money back or trade economic losses for diplomatic gains? ...
New Report Debunks Chinese Debt Trap Narrative in Sri Lanka
The Chinese debt trap narrative was started based on the purported surrender of the Port of Hambantota in Sri Lanka. When Colombo fell behind in its payments to the China Exim Bank for the loan, the story goes, Beijing seized the ...
The Indian Pundit Who Created the Discredited Chinese “Debt Trap” Meme is Still Convinced He’s Right
The creator of the widely-debunked Chinese "debt trap" meme is at it again with a new litany of breathless warnings about the risks developing countries take on when they borrow money from China. Indian pundit ...
Flurry of Coverage on China’s Rise in the Global South Reveals Indian Anxieties
Few countries are as anxious about China’s rise than India. However, a recent flurry of coverage shows that in contrast to the United States, India’s focus falls squarely on the Global South. These articles also show how central the Indian press and think tank community have been ...