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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/45540940

Archived

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China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is now mired in a mounting debt crisis, threatening the foundations of Beijing’s flagship global strategy. Infrastructure projects across Southeast Asia and Africa, financed by Chinese capital, are struggling even to meet interest payments, pushing China’s outstanding overseas debt past $1 trillion. Experts warn that if China’s loan-based diplomacy falters alongside the United States’ retreat from international aid, the global development finance system could face systemic disruption.

[...]

Launched in 2013 under President Xi Jinping, the Belt and Road Initiative sought to build a “New Silk Road” through highways, railways, ports, dams, and power plants across the developing world. More than 140 countries across Asia, Europe, and Africa have joined. In its early phase, China—through institutions like the CDB—was seen as a generous financier, offering loans without stringent conditions on governance or human rights. Yet uncontrolled lending has since fueled debt explosions in many nations, reviving allegations of Beijing’s “debt-trap diplomacy.”

Developing nations now owe China at least $1.1 trillion in outstanding obligations. Sri Lanka’s Hambantota Port and Kenya’s Standard Gauge Railway have become symbols of unsustainable debt and opaque lease agreements, while Zambia and Ghana both defaulted in 2020. Twelve African nations, including Kenya, are currently facing similar debt distress. Kenya’s so-called “Railway to Nowhere”—abandoned mid-construction in a cornfield after Chinese funding dried up—has come to epitomize the perils of overreliance on Beijing’s credit.

China’s own financial vulnerabilities are deepening. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the country’s total social financing reached 309% of GDP in the first half of this year, a 6-point jump in just six months. The IMF noted that over half of the global debt-to-GDP increase since 2008 originated from China. Meanwhile, Beijing’s strategic alliances are weakening: Russia, a key BRI partner, has seen its national capacity eroded by the prolonged war in Ukraine. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi recently acknowledged that “a Russian defeat would shift America’s strategic focus directly onto China,” underscoring Beijing’s growing diplomatic and security dilemma.

[...]

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/45540940

Archived

[...]

China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is now mired in a mounting debt crisis, threatening the foundations of Beijing’s flagship global strategy. Infrastructure projects across Southeast Asia and Africa, financed by Chinese capital, are struggling even to meet interest payments, pushing China’s outstanding overseas debt past $1 trillion. Experts warn that if China’s loan-based diplomacy falters alongside the United States’ retreat from international aid, the global development finance system could face systemic disruption.

[...]

Launched in 2013 under President Xi Jinping, the Belt and Road Initiative sought to build a “New Silk Road” through highways, railways, ports, dams, and power plants across the developing world. More than 140 countries across Asia, Europe, and Africa have joined. In its early phase, China—through institutions like the CDB—was seen as a generous financier, offering loans without stringent conditions on governance or human rights. Yet uncontrolled lending has since fueled debt explosions in many nations, reviving allegations of Beijing’s “debt-trap diplomacy.”

Developing nations now owe China at least $1.1 trillion in outstanding obligations. Sri Lanka’s Hambantota Port and Kenya’s Standard Gauge Railway have become symbols of unsustainable debt and opaque lease agreements, while Zambia and Ghana both defaulted in 2020. Twelve African nations, including Kenya, are currently facing similar debt distress. Kenya’s so-called “Railway to Nowhere”—abandoned mid-construction in a cornfield after Chinese funding dried up—has come to epitomize the perils of overreliance on Beijing’s credit.

China’s own financial vulnerabilities are deepening. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the country’s total social financing reached 309% of GDP in the first half of this year, a 6-point jump in just six months. The IMF noted that over half of the global debt-to-GDP increase since 2008 originated from China. Meanwhile, Beijing’s strategic alliances are weakening: Russia, a key BRI partner, has seen its national capacity eroded by the prolonged war in Ukraine. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi recently acknowledged that “a Russian defeat would shift America’s strategic focus directly onto China,” underscoring Beijing’s growing diplomatic and security dilemma.

[...]

Archived

[...]

China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is now mired in a mounting debt crisis, threatening the foundations of Beijing’s flagship global strategy. Infrastructure projects across Southeast Asia and Africa, financed by Chinese capital, are struggling even to meet interest payments, pushing China’s outstanding overseas debt past $1 trillion. Experts warn that if China’s loan-based diplomacy falters alongside the United States’ retreat from international aid, the global development finance system could face systemic disruption.

[...]

Launched in 2013 under President Xi Jinping, the Belt and Road Initiative sought to build a “New Silk Road” through highways, railways, ports, dams, and power plants across the developing world. More than 140 countries across Asia, Europe, and Africa have joined. In its early phase, China—through institutions like the CDB—was seen as a generous financier, offering loans without stringent conditions on governance or human rights. Yet uncontrolled lending has since fueled debt explosions in many nations, reviving allegations of Beijing’s “debt-trap diplomacy.”

Developing nations now owe China at least $1.1 trillion in outstanding obligations. Sri Lanka’s Hambantota Port and Kenya’s Standard Gauge Railway have become symbols of unsustainable debt and opaque lease agreements, while Zambia and Ghana both defaulted in 2020. Twelve African nations, including Kenya, are currently facing similar debt distress. Kenya’s so-called “Railway to Nowhere”—abandoned mid-construction in a cornfield after Chinese funding dried up—has come to epitomize the perils of overreliance on Beijing’s credit.

China’s own financial vulnerabilities are deepening. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the country’s total social financing reached 309% of GDP in the first half of this year, a 6-point jump in just six months. The IMF noted that over half of the global debt-to-GDP increase since 2008 originated from China. Meanwhile, Beijing’s strategic alliances are weakening: Russia, a key BRI partner, has seen its national capacity eroded by the prolonged war in Ukraine. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi recently acknowledged that “a Russian defeat would shift America’s strategic focus directly onto China,” underscoring Beijing’s growing diplomatic and security dilemma.

[...]

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/45538670

• Uyghur region (XUAR) saw 300 million visitors in 2024, more than double 2018 figures.
• Most tourists are domestic; foreign access is tightly controlled.
• Human rights groups warn China promotes a sanitized version of Uyghur culture.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/45538670

• Uyghur region (XUAR) saw 300 million visitors in 2024, more than double 2018 figures.
• Most tourists are domestic; foreign access is tightly controlled.
• Human rights groups warn China promotes a sanitized version of Uyghur culture.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/45538670

• Uyghur region (XUAR) saw 300 million visitors in 2024, more than double 2018 figures.
• Most tourists are domestic; foreign access is tightly controlled.
• Human rights groups warn China promotes a sanitized version of Uyghur culture.

• Uyghur region (XUAR) saw 300 million visitors in 2024, more than double 2018 figures.
• Most tourists are domestic; foreign access is tightly controlled.
• Human rights groups warn China promotes a sanitized version of Uyghur culture.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/45538468

Archived

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China’s NDC [Nationally Determined Contribution] stood in sharp contrast to a complete withdrawal from the Paris Agreement by the world’s second-largest emitter and biggest historical emitter—the United States. China’s limited commitment coupled with this U.S. exit has caused many to doubt the viability of global climate progress under UN-led forums during a critical Conference of the Parties (COP) meeting in Brazil.

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China is the world’s largest emitter today, making up about a third of global emissions. The country overtook the United States in greenhouse gas emissions in 2006, and in the past decade, China’s emissions have only continued to climb. Since 2015, 90 percent of the world’s growth in emissions is traceable to China.

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But these commitments [to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 7–10 percent below peak levels by 2035] fall short from what analysts forecast could keep global warming below the 1.5°C threshold established under the Paris agreement. Research from nonprofit organization the Asia Society found that China would need to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent from peak emissions by 2035 to still align with the 1.5°C goal established under the Paris Agreement. Moreover, China does not specify when it will “peak” its emissions, leaving the country flexibility to increasing emissions in the next decade.

[...]

What’s China’s NDC strategy?

Beijing could have chosen to under promise and over deliver on its global climate pledges. The Chinese government has historically followed this approach, achieving several of its past climate commitments ahead of schedule. Committing to less restrictive and ambitious NDCs grant China more flexibility in its economic, technological, and industrial development over the next decade.

In addition, Beijing is facing internal headwinds that could circumscribe climate ambition. For example, in February, China’s central government issued a directive for provinces to develop new pricing mechanisms plans for solar and wind power by the end of 2025. As of October, only about a half of the provinces had finalized the new rules.

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Archived

[...]

China’s NDC [Nationally Determined Contribution] stood in sharp contrast to a complete withdrawal from the Paris Agreement by the world’s second-largest emitter and biggest historical emitter—the United States. China’s limited commitment coupled with this U.S. exit has caused many to doubt the viability of global climate progress under UN-led forums during a critical Conference of the Parties (COP) meeting in Brazil.

[...]

China is the world’s largest emitter today, making up about a third of global emissions. The country overtook the United States in greenhouse gas emissions in 2006, and in the past decade, China’s emissions have only continued to climb. Since 2015, 90 percent of the world’s growth in emissions is traceable to China.

[...]

But these commitments [to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 7–10 percent below peak levels by 2035] fall short from what analysts forecast could keep global warming below the 1.5°C threshold established under the Paris agreement. Research from nonprofit organization the Asia Society found that China would need to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent from peak emissions by 2035 to still align with the 1.5°C goal established under the Paris Agreement. Moreover, China does not specify when it will “peak” its emissions, leaving the country flexibility to increasing emissions in the next decade.

[...]

What’s China’s NDC strategy?

Beijing could have chosen to under promise and over deliver on its global climate pledges. The Chinese government has historically followed this approach, achieving several of its past climate commitments ahead of schedule. Committing to less restrictive and ambitious NDCs grant China more flexibility in its economic, technological, and industrial development over the next decade.

In addition, Beijing is facing internal headwinds that could circumscribe climate ambition. For example, in February, China’s central government issued a directive for provinces to develop new pricing mechanisms plans for solar and wind power by the end of 2025. As of October, only about a half of the provinces had finalized the new rules.

[...]

Eine erst im Januar fertiggestellte Autobahnbrücke in China ist infolge eines Erdrutsches eingestürzt. Ein Teil der mehr als 750 Meter langen Brücke Hongqi über den Dadu-Fluss brach an einer der beiden Flussuferseiten ein, wie die Behörden der Stadt Barkam in der südwestlichen Provinz Sichuan mitteilten. Verletzte habe es nicht gegeben, da das Bauwerk bereits für den Verkehr gesperrt worden war.

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Die Hongqi-Brücke liegt unweit des im Bau befindlichen Wasserkraftwerks Shuangjiangkou im autonomen Bezirk Ngawa der Tibeter und Qiang. Das 172 Meter hohe Bauwerk überspannt den dort durchlaufenden Dadu-Fluss. Nach Angaben der Baufirma wurde erst im Januar dieses Jahres die Lücke in der Brückenmitte geschlossen und damit der Bau fertiggestellt.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/45538232

Part of a recently-opened bridge collapsed in China's southwestern province of Sichuan along a national highway linking the country's heartland with Tibet on Tuesday (Nov 11), local authorities said, but there were no reports of casualties.

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Construction of the bridge finished earlier this year, according to a video posted by the contractor Sichuan Road & Bridge Group on social media.

There is no estimated timeline for the reopening of the highway, local authorities said, as reported by China Daily.

The bridge is located near Shuangjiangkou hydropower project. The South China Morning Post reported earlier that the project, which will be the world’s tallest dam when completed, began storing water on May 1.

Part of a recently-opened bridge collapsed in China's southwestern province of Sichuan along a national highway linking the country's heartland with Tibet on Tuesday (Nov 11), local authorities said, but there were no reports of casualties.

[...]

Construction of the bridge finished earlier this year, according to a video posted by the contractor Sichuan Road & Bridge Group on social media.

There is no estimated timeline for the reopening of the highway, local authorities said, as reported by China Daily.

The bridge is located near Shuangjiangkou hydropower project. The South China Morning Post reported earlier that the project, which will be the world’s tallest dam when completed, began storing water on May 1.