In April, Beijing announced that 115 governments had signed up to its One Belt, One Road (OBOR, also known as Belt and Road) initiative, following Italy in March (becoming the first G7 nation to do so) and Switzerland, which ratified a memorandum of understanding for cooperation and trade in late April.
The growing number of countries joining the gigantic Chinese project, sometimes referred to as ‘‘globalization 2.0,’' makes it inevitable. Chinese leader Xi Jinping, the new Mao Zedong, is on the verge of implementing the biggest infrastructure plan ever imagined on a global scale. We can be afraid of it, as it will surely have a big impact on the environment and will deal a blow to human rights.
Despite all “good words” from the Chinese regime, official statements do not mention any specific clear guidance regarding environmental procedures. In theory, Chinese officials will follow host-country laws and norms during construction. This is far from being enough. However, in most countries that are part of the OBOR, economic interests come first and the environment comes last. Besides, if a country had a proper environmental regulation, enforcing it would curb China’s appetite.
On the field, the results are quite clear. It is indeed true that the OBOR includes multiple green projects such as wind farms, solar plants and hydraulic dams, but all these go along with the development of coal, gas and mineral factories. According to the Global Environment Institute, Beijing participated in 240 coal power projects within the OBOR between 2001 and 2016, Pakistan being on the top of the list as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), worth $54 billion.
CPEC aims at connecting the Xinjiang Autonomous Region with the port town of Gwadar. More than half of CPEC spending, $33 billion, will go to 19 energy projects, of which three-quarters of the generated power will be based on coal-powered plants. Environmentalists believe that Pakistan may run out of water in 2025, while the plants will worsen the situation because of the intensive need of water for the operation of the latter, not to mention the pollution it will add to the already-contaminated air in the country.
In the end, we can say this. First, OBOR countries get caught in a debt trap with the Chinese regime. Secondly, the construction on site do not benefit local workers. Thirdly, the consequences are often harmful for the environment. And finally, but most importantly, these countries become bound hand-and-foot to China for a very long time—just like Pakistan which handed over control of the Gwadar Port and Free Zone to China in 2015 for a period of 43 years. This does not look promising for the 21st century.