China hands out at least twice as much development money as the United States (US) and other major powers, new evidence shows, with most of it coming in the form of risky high-interest loans from Chinese state banks.The sheer amount of Chinese lending is startling.
The ongoing pandemic might have slowed down the advancement of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), but not its coverage in the media. Pundits and scholars across the world have kept publishing opinion articles and analyses on a daily basis speculating about its demise, or its reboot.
China's top diplomat was in Cambodia on Monday on the start of a visit both countries hope will boost relations at a time of increased tensions with the United States (US).Foreign Minister Wang Yi - who will also visit Malaysia, Lao and Thailand on a regional charm offensive - signed a trade deal that will allow Cambodia to export 340 mostly agricultural products without tariffs.Beijing has all but replaced Washington as Phnom Penh's most important international partner, with the la
Sihanoukville used to be a sleepy coastal town in south Cambodia. Its beaches were known for their quiet, cosy – albeit a little seedy – atmosphere that attracted mostly families, individual travellers and backpackers. Aside from the goings-on of the tourists and those connected with the country’s sole deep-water port, nothing much had changed over the years.
As of 16 March 2020, over 100,000 people have been infected with the novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19. Globally, more than 6,000 deaths have been recorded. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared it a pandemic, which has resulted in lockdowns of countries and cities such as Italy and Manila, the capital of the Philippines.
The Malaysian government’s decision to revisit the US$34 billion Bandar Malaysia project earlier this month after a two-year stall is the latest infrastructure project to be renegotiated or revived with an eye on appeasing China.The newly-elected Alliance of Hope (Pakatan Harapan) ruling coalition embarked on a series of cost-cutting measures after coming to power last May, suspending a series of Chinese-financed projects as it sought to improve the government’s finances and reduce r
The Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) marked its third anniversary last week with the announcement that China’s trade with the five Mekong member countries – Cambodia, Lao, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam – has reached over US$260 billion for the period, highlighting the overarching role China plays in these five countries’ economies.A sub-regional cooperation mechanism connecting the six countries along the Mekong river, which is known as Lancang in China, the LMC was formed in March 2016 and h
The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was presented by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013. The initiative features a connectivity of systems and mechanisms, which aim to construct a unified large market and make full use of both, international and domestic markets through exchange and integration.
Recent reports have revealed that villagers in the remote Lao settlement of Huaiyae in the scenic Vang Vieng region north of Vientiane have expressed concern about the possibility of losing their land to a Chinese development project. This was after local authorities were spotted in the town taking measurements and noting the locations of trees.
Aside from election fever and concerns over free trade, it is likely that Southeast Asia will play a much bigger role in global geopolitics in 2019.
China has been synonymous with pan-Eurasian infrastructure development since the unveiling of its grandiose Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in 2013.
On a recent official visit to China, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad criticized his host country’s use of major infrastructure projects – and difficult-to-repay loans – to assert its influence over smaller countries.
