Japan's debt trap claims ring hollow

In a thinly-veiled criticism of China's Belt and Road Initiative on Friday, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe accused China of burdening African countries with "excessive" debt. An accusation that the United States habitually airs in an attempt to smear the initiative and hinder China's cooperation with other developing countries.

Japan held a three-day conference on African development last week, aiming to boost its ties with African countries, and Abe seized the opportunity to warn African countries of the debt issue, alleging that "if partner countries are deeply in debt, it interferes with everyone's efforts to enter the market".

Abe's remarks were widely perceived as being critical of China's cooperation with Africa under the Belt and Road Initiative. By doing so, the Japanese leader totally disregarded previous clarifications from leaders of African countries denying the so-called debt trap.