Hi my name is Tayyab Asif and I am a student in year 10 from Australia conducting a Study/Research on Chinese debt trap diplomacy and one of my focus groups is Pakistan. I would feel really obliged if Individuals on this Pakwheels forum could fill out a short 10-15 minute form which would really help me head my Research into a further direction by getting opinions from the general Pakistani population.
My research Question:
To what extent can China’s lending practices and overseas infrastructure projects be considered a form of ‘debt-trap diplomacy’? An analysis of ‘Western’ and Chinese perspectives regarding China’s interactions with three developing states (Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe) from 2000 to 2021.
Link to forum :https://forms.gle/A2MKcHGaQ5MBqUpp8
This investigation aims to develop an understanding of China’s interaction with the three developing countries from 2000 to 2021. A deep analysis on whether China traps these kinds of developing countries by giving them loans that China certainly knows they can't pay back and is that considered a form of ‘debt-trap diplomacy’.
Throughout the study the term, ‘Debt trap diplomacy' is when a country intentionally lends loans to smaller countries to extract economic gains from the smaller country as a result of not paying the loan back (Deborah and Meg, 2021). Western perspectives refer to perspectives from countries in the western world (Phil, 2020). BRI stands for China's belt and road initiative (Geoff, 2022).
The scope focuses on China's criticized lending practices to smaller countries into repaying debts (Kai, 2021). The three developing countries (Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Zimbabwe) are chosen for this study. The China Pakistan economic corridor (CPEC) has great potential for Pakistan (Khan, 2017). CPEC will be a focus area in this report because it is “an important loop in the larger chain of the Belt and Road Initiative, and would enable the possibility of a 21st Century Maritime Road” (China power team, 2017, p.1). Sri Lanka is chosen due to the construction of Hambantota port as a case that shows little evidence of Chinese strategy but more poor government planning on the recipient's side (Shahar, 2020). Zimbabwe is chosen as a way to represent China's lending practices in Africa and it's a country in which China has invested a lot (Zindiye, 2020). The years 2000 to 2021 are the focus because these are the years in which China established its BRI, CPEC was launched, the construction of the Hambantota port , and when China began lending to African countries .
Sub-questions:
What is the aim behind china’s BRI initiative and what progress has BRI done as of 2021?
What is the purpose and possible benefits of CPEC to China and Pakistan?
Is Sri Lanka evident to the term ‘Debt trap diplomacy’ by looking at the infrastructure linked to BRI?
What risks and benefits are involved with China investing in Zimbabwe and are other countries in the African continent inspired by this relationship?
