Rebirth of colonialism through partnerships with Chinese companies

The Chinese government has refuted claims it is luring counties around the world into a debt trap that will eventually jeopardise their sovereignty. China’s Foreign Affairs ministry spokesperson Lu Kang has been at pains to explain that China has no imperial ambitions. But this explanation is a spectacular miss, as the true shape and form of China’s Belt and Road Initiative unravels.

Countries in the developing world, and in particular Africa, are no strangers to exploitation. After decades of colonial rule under major Western powers, the continent was left with a legacy of harsh, imperialist rule that set it back years in modernisation.