Poorest 75 nations face 'tidal wave' of debt repayments to China in 2025, study warns

[Eugene]

Source: The Guardian

Poorest 75 nations face ‘tidal wave’ of debt repayments to China in 2025, study warns

Vulnerable countries to pay record $22bn this year, mostly relating to loans issued under Xi Jinping’s belt and road initiative

Helen Davidson in Taipei
Tue 27 May 2025 06.54 BST
Last modified on Tue 27 May 2025 14.56 BST

The most vulnerable nations on Earth are facing a “tidal wave” of debt repayments as a Chinese lending boom starts to be called in, a new report has warned.

The analysis, published on Tuesday by Australian foreign policy thinktank the Lowy Institute, said that in 2025 the poorest 75 countries were on the hook for record high debt repayments US$22bn to China. The 75 nations’ debt formed the bulk of the total $35bn calculated by Lowy for 2025.

“Now, and for the rest of this decade, China will be more debt collector than banker to the developing world,” the report said.

The pressure to repay was putting strain on local funding for health and education as well as climate change mitigation.

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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/27/poorest-750-nations-face-tidal-wave-of-debt-repayments-to-china-in-2025-study-warns

[Bayard]

1. We will be in that group at some point...

[JBTaurus83]

2. I've thought for a long time

This is how China will end up spreading communism without firing a shot. Countries may allow Chinese state run companies to control assets or enter markets as a debt deal.

And on edit, this is what we help facilitate for big business around the world, so why wouldn’t the communists try the same with their state owned enterprises?