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24 May in 5:00 The Diplomat
The BRI has repeatedly been labeled a debt trap and a power grab, and perhaps this seemed like a possibility at the outset. However, this concept has been debunked by careful research,
The Diplomat reports. Deborah Brautigam, director of the China Africa Research Initiative at Johns Hopkins University, studies Chinese lending to Africa in depth. She found no evidence that Chinese banks over-lend or invest in loss-making projects to obtain a foothold in those countries.
Brautigam points out that the turnover of the Hambantota Port in Sri Lanka to a Chinese company has often been misinterpreted as a geopolitical move by China to take over key infrastructure. The story is that China persuaded Sri Lanka to borrow funds for a project that had little prospect of success. The terms of the loan were onerous and forced Sri Lanka into default, so that the country was forced to hand over the port to China.
Without Its Own China Strategy Yet, Biden Administration Maintains Trump s Hardline Stance
Right now, the only area in which Congress seems to be adopting a bipartisan approach is China. Outcompeting China is an area in which both parties agree.
Chinese and US flags flutter near The Bund, Shanghai. Photo: Reuters/Aly Song
World8 hours ago
According to a recent Pew poll, 53% of Republicans consider China as an âenemyâ as against 43% who see them as a âcompetitorâ. Only 20% of Democrats see China as an enemy, as against a majority of 65% who see them as a âcompetitor.â But the jury is still out on how the US views China.
Follow RT on Washington has long viewed the country as a crucial partner in a key region, but the new sanctions it s just imposed on the Addis Ababa government could backfire and push it closer to Beijing.
It’s been a weekend of extraordinary developments in Washington’s relationship with Ethiopia, which have also been of a contradictory nature.
On Saturday, the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) secured a contract with a consortium of companies to fund the country’s 5G network, on the condition the money isn’t used on Chinese telecoms giants Huawei and ZTE.
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POLITICO
Harris, White House betting on Guatemala to help stem migrant influx
The Biden administration is most optimistic about working with Guatemala because it’s willing to talk about the tough issues. And it’s not Honduras or El Salvador.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris will take her first international trip in office in early June to meet with the presidents of Guatemala and Mexico. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images
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Vice President Kamala Harris is looking for leaders to partner with in the region known as the Northern Triangle to curb migration to the United States. There aren’t a lot of options.