The Reality and Myth of BRI’s Debt Trap Evidences from Asia and Africa

Nian Peng is an Associate Professor & Research Fellow at the Department of Foreign Languages and Research Center for Indian Ocean Island Countries, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China. He is also the Director of the Hong Kong Research Center for Asian Studies (RCAS), Hong Kong. He holds a PhD in Government and International Studies at Hong Kong Baptist University. His main research interests are in the areas of China’s relations with Southeast Asian/South Asian states, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and maritime security of the Indo-Pacific. He authored nearly 10 books and more than 20 papers in SSCI/SCOPUS/CSSCI-indexed journals. Recent publications include Populism, Nationalism and South China Sea Dispute: Chinese and Southeast Asian Perspectives (Singapore: Springer Nature, 2022). His refereed articles have been notably published in Ocean Development and International Law , Pacific Focus , Asian Affairs , etc. He also contributes his perspectives to various local and international media outlets such as The Diplomat in the United States, East Asian Forum in Australia, Bangkok Post in Thailand, etc. Email: jixi2212@163.com 

Ming Yu Cheng is currently a Professor at the Faculty of Accountancy and Management, Director of the Institute of Management and Leadership Development and Chairperson of the Belt and Road Strategic Research Centre, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia. She is also an Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Hong Kong Research Center for Asian Studies (RCAS), Hong Kong. She works on a number of projects related to economic development, particularly social capital, globalization, human capital development and competitiveness studies. Her recent interests are in science & technology and industry linkages, STEM education and socio-economic aspects of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, as well as the BRI. She was a fellow of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Fellowship, a Fulbright Visiting Scholar at Washington State University, the United States, a Research Fellow at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore, Singapore and a Visiting Professor at National Taiwan University, Taiwan. In 2011, she was selected to join the Young Global Leader Forum of World Economic Forum. Email: chengmy@utar.edu.my

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