China's belt and road Initiative: A trillion-dollar trap

India Today

26-07-2025

China's trillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative was sold as a gift to the world, global infrastructure, mutual prosperity, shared growth. But beneath the glossy public relations lies a darker reality: corruption, debt traps, and geostrategic manipulation. China isn't building bridges out of goodwill, it's laying down anchors of control. The Scale of Ambition
The Belt and Road isn't a single highway, it's a tangled web of influence stretching across continents. With over 140 countries involved and more than $1.17 trillion committed by 2024, the scale is jaw-dropping. Projects range from Kenyan railways to European ports, from African power grids to digital silk roads. Beijing's banks bankroll it all, mostly through state loans that come with more strings than steel.advertisementOver $634 billion has gone into construction contracts and $419 billion into non-financial investments. These aren't charity projects, they're loans, often at commercial rates, with sovereign guarantees. When countries default, Beijing doesn't write off debt; it renegotiates, sometimes demanding control of key infrastructure.The Sri Lankan WarningSri Lanka exemplifies what happens when countries can't repay China. It borrowed heavily from Beijing to build Hambantota Port, a white elephant in the middle of nowhere. When Colombo couldn't service its debt, China didn't forgive it. It took the port for 99 years. That's not investment, it's strategic colonization, sitting just a few hundred miles off India's southern coast.Pakistan, China's supposed "iron brother," looks more like a financially dependent client state. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor represents a $60+ billion venture cutting through disputed Indian territory. India calls it illegal; China shrugs. Meanwhile, Pakistan's debt balloons, blackouts continue, and insurgents target Chinese engineers.Growing Opposition and Hidden CostsWhat began as soft power is turning into hard liability. The annual burn rate of BRI investments outpaced even U.S. foreign commitments in its early years, but the return on investment remains disappointing. Chinese firms operate in risky environments, chasing influence over profits while defaults rise.BRI has sparked protests in Kenya, corruption trials in Malaysia, and unrest in Pakistan. Locals complain of Chinese labor replacing local workers, environmental disasters, and overpriced projects. In Europe, Italy called its BRI membership an "atrocious mistake."India's Strategic ForesightFrom Day One, India opposed the BRI's flagship project, viewing the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor as territorial violation rather than investment. India rightly called BRI opaque, exploitative, and neo-colonial. While neighbors queued up for Chinese money, India chose sovereignty over checkbooks—a decision that now looks like strategic foresight rather than stubborn nationalism.India sees China's ports in Gwadar, Hambantota, Chittagong, and Kyaukpyu not as infrastructure but as strategic bases, links in a noose surrounding Indian territory. Each port represents a potential outpost for Chinese naval expansion in Beijing's maritime monopoly game.The Human and Environmental CostBeyond numbers and ports lie real people. Chinese labor dominates projects while local workers are sidelined. Reports of forced labor, passport confiscation, and wage theft are well-documented. BRI often ignores environmental impact assessments, dams flood ecosystems, railways slice through forests, and ports displace villages.The "Digital Silk Road" exports Chinese surveillance technology to partner nations, with countries getting connectivity while Beijing gains access to sensitive data. The African Union discovered their Beijing-built headquarters was secretly sending data back to China nightly.advertisementA Failing GambleInside China, BRI has become a political hot potato. Projects abroad are flailing while domestic voices question spending billions abroad as unemployment rises at home. With global opposition mounting and domestic returns fading, Beijing may soon face scaling back its most ambitious foreign policy gamble.India's refusal to compromise sovereignty for short-term investment helped it avoid the traps that ensnared others. By investing in regional partnerships and multilateral forums like the India-Middle East-Europe Corridor, India offers transparency, trust, and technology, not just money.China's Belt and Road Initiative promised global connectivity but has delivered debt, dependency, and disillusionment for many participants. The monetary cost is staggering, but the political cost—lost sovereignty, broken alliances, and compromised futures, is worse. For India, staying out looks smarter with every passing year. The world must ultimately decide: Is infrastructure worth the influence it surrenders?- EndsMust Watch