CYIL vol. 13 (2022)

MAX HILAIRE CYIL 13 ȍ2022Ȏ communication activities. 109 China has one of the most atrocious human rights records. It executes more people than any other country. 110 Since China ascended to major economic power status, it has become a lot more assertive in exerting its power and influence in international affairs. It has increased its participation in United Nations peacekeeping operations; conducted joint naval operations in the Indian Ocean; expanded its military zone in the disputed South China Sea; and established its first overseas military base in Djibouti. China twice vetoed Security Council resolutions to authorize more punitive sanctions against the Assad regime. As an alternative to the U.S. post-war world order, China has established the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and negotiated trade agreements with a host of countries which may ultimately diminish the significance of WTO’s existing trade rules. China’s One Belt, One Road policy seeks to recreate the original Silk Road trade route by building the infrastructures and logistics in countries along that route. China has signed several investment agreements with African countries which give it very generous concessions for mining other natural resources of these countries. It also gives China easy access to these countries’ markets. China is the biggest foreign investor in African countries and is also Africa’s largest trading partner. 111 China’s loan agreements with African countries are cloaked in secrecy and come with hidden costs. Given African states’ fragile economies, many of them have been faced with huge debt burdens that leave them vulnerable to China taking control of their mines, ports, and other infrastructure projects. Although China claims its loans are far more generous than loans from the U.S., EU, and western multilateral institutions, there is a lack of transparency with which these loan agreements are negotiated, and borrowers have found themselves in a debt trap. 112 There is every indication China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is failing. Chinese banks loaned out $ 462 billion in 2008 and 2019 for BRI-related projects. However, as of September 2020, China’s Export-Import Bank and China Development Bank loaned only $ 4 billion. 113 The number of countries in debt renegotiations has also increased significantly. Several developing countries risk defaulting on their loans to Chinese financial institutions. China has sought to expand its power and influence by entering the international financial market. But China has little experience in sovereign borrowing, which has left it exposed to economic shocks, corruption, and mismanagement in developing countries. China is also deploying forces from Private Military Companies (PMC) to protect its workers and investment interests in African countries. 114 The deployment of private security companies to provide security for Chinese nationals and investments abroad is a new phenomenon in China. In the past, China has opposed all forms of foreign intervention and has vehemently opposed the deployment of Chinese military personnel in war zones. The presence of Private Military Companies on the battlefield 109 SHEPERD , Ch. Fear and Oppression in Xinjiang , FIN. TIMES, (Sept. 14-15/2019), p. 1. 110 Human Rights Watch Annual Report on the Death Penalty (2018) at www.hrw.org/. 111 See KLAVER, M., TREBILCOCK, M. Chinese Investment in Africa, in FARAH, Paolo D., CIMA, E. (eds), China’s Influence on Non-Trade Concerns in International Economic Law . NY: Routledge, (2016), p. 113. 112 MARK , J. China’s real ‘debt trap’ threat , at https://www.atlanticocuncil.org/blog/news-atlanticist/chinas-real debt-trap-threat/. 113 KYNGE, J., WHEATLEY, J. Rethinking Xi’s Project of the Century, Fin. Times (Dec. 12/13/2020), p. 6 114 VAN MEEL, M. B. “ Chinese Military Security Companies in Contemporary Africa ,” at https://openaccess. leidenuniv.nl/bitstram/handle/1887/68906/Meel%2C20Matthijs%20van-1067605-MA%20Thesis%20 POWE-2019.pdf? p. 5.

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