China to Reap Benefits and Laos Falls into Debt Trap as China-Laos Railway Begins Service

A Chinese worker carries materials for the first rail line linking China to Laos, a key part of Beijing's "Belt and Road" project across the Mekong in Luang Prabang, Laos, on Feb. 8, 2020. Aidan Jones/AFP via Getty Images

China’s Belt and Road Initiative has resulted in debt traps for a number of countries. Laos may have just joined the list with the opening of the China-Laos railway on Dec. 3.

Countries such as Kenya and Ethiopia are already struggling to repay China’s Belt and Road loans, while Laos, a landlocked country, still has great expectations for the Beijing-initiated railway project, hoping that it will energize its agriculture-based economy.