Debt-Trap or Development? A Critical Analysis of the Geopolitical Implications of China's Belt and Road Initiative in Southeast Asia
Smt. Premalatha Munoli
Assistant Professor, Government First Grade College, Bidar. Karnataka, India
Keywords: Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Debt-Trap Diplomacy, Geopolitics, Southeast Asia, China, Infrastructure Development, ASEAN, Indo-Pacific Strategy.
Abstract
This paper is mainly about how China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is affecting the politics and development of Southeast Asia. Many people talk about it as a “debt trap” while others see it as a way for growth, but both sides are not always right. The results of BRI actually depend on many things — like what China really wants, how the local governments manage the projects, and also how big powers like the US and India are involved in the region. To understand this better, the paper looks
at examples from Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and Laos. These cases show that BRI can bring real benefits like better roads and trade links, but there are also serious risks such as increasing debts, losing control over national assets, and political tensions in the area. In the end, this study talks about how the newer version of BRI, sometimes called “BRI 2.0”, is trying to fix some of these issues. It also discusses what this change could mean for the future of the Indo-Pacific, especially for countries like ours that are watching these developments closely.
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Published
01-02-2026