By Macau Daily Times
From the article:
Three Muslim-majority Asian countries have elected leaders who campaigned on a promise to temper China’s growing influence, but analysts say reducing the foothold of the world’s second-largest economy won’t be easy because of the billions of dollars in development projects that are already under way.
The surprising elections in recent months of nonagenarian Mahathir Mohamad in Malaysia, cricketer Imran Khan in Pakistan and longtime opposition lawmaker Ibrahim Mohamed Solih in the Maldives buck a regional trend toward authoritarianism, and could present an obstacle for Chinese President Xi Jinping’s hallmark “Belt and Road Initiative” to build ports, highways and other trade-related infrastructure.
Countries including India, the U.S. and Japan are concerned that China’s massive initiative is part of an effort to build a China-centric world order in which all roads lead to Beijing and their own influence is eroded.
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The Center for Global Development, a Washington think tank, estimates China’s loans to Maldives total at least USD1.3 billion, a quarter of the island nation’s gross domestic product. The country is considered by the World Bank and the IMF to be at high risk of debt distress because of its vulnerability to outside shocks.
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