By IntellAsia.net
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.
...
China considers Maldives a key cog in “Belt and Road” projects following along ancient trade routes through the Indian Ocean and Central Asia.
The Centre for Global Development, a Washington think tank, estimates China’s loans to Maldives total at least $1.3 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.
Read the full article here.