The Reality and Myth of Bri’s Debt Trap: Evidences from Asia and Africa

This edited book aims to present a well-balanced view on the heated debate about BRI’s ＂debt trap＂ controversy within the route states by presenting compelling evidence from Asian and African countries. It is contributed by the university scholars, think tank experts, and governmental officials from the concerned parties such as China, USA, South/Southeast Asia, and Africa to discuss this new topic from their perspectives. It not only examines the origins and changes in external debt among the BRI route states before and after the launch of the BRI, but also analyzes the outcomes stemming from BRI projects. The book covers 12 chapters, in which the first chapter briefly introduces the aims and scope of this book. The following 2 chapters look at Chinese and Indian perspectives on the ＂debt trap＂, respectively. The next 9 chapters examine the debt issue and BRI projects in Southeast Asian, South Asian, and African states, which mainly involve Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Nigeria, and give some useful policy suggestions to reduce the debt burden and promote the socioeconomic development in these countries.

Nian Peng is an Associate Professor & Research Fellow at the Department of Foreign Languages and Research Center for Indian Ocean Island Countries, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China. He is also the Director of the Hong Kong Research Center for Asian Studies (RCAS), Hong Kong. He holds a PhD in Government and International Studies at Hong Kong Baptist University. His main research interests are in the areas of China’s relations with Southeast Asian/South Asian states, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and maritime security of the Indo-Pacific. He authored nearly 10 books and more than 20 papers in SSCI/SCOPUS/CSSCI-indexed journals. Recent publications include Populism, Nationalism and South China Sea Dispute: Chinese and Southeast Asian Perspectives (Singapore: Springer Nature, 2022). His refereed articles have been notably published in Ocean Development and International Law, Pacific Focus, Asian Affairs, etc. He also contributes his perspectives to various local and international media outlets such as The Diplomat in the United States, East Asian Forum in Australia, Bangkok Post in Thailand, etc. Email: jixi2212@163.com

Ming Yu Cheng is currently a Professor at the Faculty of Accountancy and Management, Director of the Institute of Management and Leadership Development and Chairperson of the Belt and Road Strategic Research Centre, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia. She is also an Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Hong Kong Research Center for Asian Studies (RCAS), Hong Kong. She works on a number of projects related to economic development, particularly social capital, globalization, human capital development and competitiveness studies. Her recent interests are in science & technology and industry linkages, STEM education and socio-economic aspects of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, as well as the BRI. She was a fellow of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Fellowship, a Fulbright Visiting Scholar at Washington State University, the United States, a Research Fellow at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore, Singapore and a Visiting Professor at National Taiwan University, Taiwan. In 2011, she was selected to join the Young Global Leader Forum of World Economic Forum. Email: chengmy@utar.edu.my

.