Concerns over Myanmar falling into a Chinese ‘debt trap’ through the belt and road development plan can be assuaged by a committed effort by both parties to reach a mutually beneficial agreement.
Western critics of China’s multilateral infrastructure investment programme overlook the holistic and long-term benefits the belt and road brings to countries like Myanmar. What’s more, they aren’t offering any alternatives.
Mahathir’s cancellation of the high-speed rail connecting Malaysia and Singapore is a blow to the Lion City’s Belt and Road Initiative ambitions, but it still has a role to play.