'Debt trap' claims have no foundation

Australian analysts say geopolitics swamps analysis in Pacific island states

Arguments for the so-called China "debt trap" by some critics are without foundation, Australian researchers have concluded, questioning the objectivity of such narratives against Beijing.

For now, Chinese investment continues to flow into the Pacific, giving the economies of some of the world's poorest nations a much-needed boost. But as a great deal of this investment is tied up in China's Belt and Road Initiative, some critics say it amounts to "debt-trap diplomacy", especially when it comes to the Pacific.