China’s risky Silk Road lending

Launched in 2013 by President Xi Jinping, China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has left countries across much of the developing world struggling under onerous debt loads


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Sovereign loans ($bn – government backed, 2000-17)
Hidden debt ($bn – does not appear on government balance sheets) 

Venezuela	74.74	16.33	91.07
Angola		52.30	12.41	39.89
Kazakhstan 	3.17	27.27	30.44
Pakistan 	24.38	1.80	26.18
Indonesia	4.95 	17.28	22.23
Malaysia 	6.98	8.50	15.48
Ethiopia 	10.85	4.56	15.41
Laos 		5.58	6.69	12.27
Sudan 		8.79	3.09	11.88
Sri Lanka 	10.39	0.37	10.76
Kenya		9.29	0.02	9.31 

$843bn 
BRI projects in 165 countries 

$385bn 
Hidden debt 
         

Sources: AidData, American Enterprise Institute, Spiegel 
Pictures: Getty Images 
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