The Belt and Road initiative has attracted its share of criticism from across the world. Some have accused China of debt trap diplomacy to fund the project, extending credit to countries in order to fund their part of the initiative, knowing that those countries will never be able to repay the money and giving the Chinese government leverage over them when they default.
Other critics have raised concerns that by strengthening and developing the transport infrastructure between China and its neighbours, China will be able to strategically influence regulatory obstacles that might otherwise have limited its growth. They argue that it will allow China to expand at the expense of the US, as the two nations battle for dominance in the region. There are concerns over the environmental impact of all these projects too, as well as the vast power stations that are being constructed to enable and power the new Silk Road.