Ecuador’s New Dam a Sign of China’s Debt Trap Diplomacy

Ecuador’s New Dam a Sign of China’s Debt Trap Diplomacy
View of the Paute Dam, in Penas Coloradas, Ecuador, on November 10, 2009. PABLO COZZAGLIO/AFP/GettyImages
Daniel Holl
Updated:
Chinese bribery has established an untenable and highly priced dam in the jungles of Ecuador, according to a New York Times report. Other infrastructure and construction projects from China have filled the nation, racking up nigh-insurmountable debt.

Just like other countries that have fallen victim to the Chinese communist regime’s debt trap diplomacy, Ecuador equity will be paying off these debts. To repay the roughly $19 billion debt to China, Ecuador will instead give 80 percent of its petroleum exports to China, which it can then sell at a profit.

Daniel Holl
Daniel Holl
China reporter
Daniel Holl is a Sacramento, California-based reporter, specializing in China-related topics. He moved to China alone and stayed there for almost seven years, learning the language and culture. He is fluent in Mandarin Chinese.
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