[cityhantam]

The very idea of a China 'debt trap' in itself is an affront to other countries in the first place. It implies that the countries' leaders and citizens cannot think for themselves and need the help of some rich Caucasian in US and Western Europe to teach them in the perils of nation building.

When the US was at the peak of its power with no close competitor and exuded tremendous soft power as a beacon of shinning light, such sanctimonious preaching was somewhat grudgingly accepted by these developing countries. Unfortunately years of internal infighting in US and belligerent foreign policies resulting in mismanaged conflicts worldwide has resulted in a degradation in perception of the so called western values and the unfettered capitalism which they preached.

Combined with China's offer as an alternative investor and the inability of western nations to uplift the living standards of these developing countries after so many years, these 'warnings' now come across as hollow and ill-intentioned. That is why despite relentless screaming and shouting by US and Western Europe, the BRI continues to expand unabated and we now see this comical situation whereby even South American countries that were not part of the original BRI are are signing up pronto.

It's just like business - when you have a monopoly you can abuse the customers in whatever way you want, but once a competitor comes in, the only way to maintain market share is to offer a better price or product. No amount of thrash talking of others is going to get you anywhere.