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Politics

Brahma Chellaney: China is ensnaring vulnerable states in debt traps

The Maldives is just the latest nation at risk from Beijing's maneuvering

American statesman John Adams (U.S. president from 1797 to 1801) famously said, "There are two ways to conquer and enslave a country. One is by the sword. The other is by debt."

China has chosen the second path. Aggressively employing economic tools to advance its strategic interests, Beijing has extended huge loans to financially weak states and ensnared some in debt traps that greatly strengthen its leverage.

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