内容摘要：The crackdown by German troops sent tens of thousands of people fleeing towards neighbouring Botswana.

The crackdown by German troops sent tens of thousands of people fleeing towards neighbouring Botswana.

The BRI has turned China into the largest global supplier of bilateral loans, peaking at about $50bn in 2016 – more than all Western creditors combined.According to the Lowy report, however, paying off these debts is now jeopardising public spending.

“Pressure from Chinese state lending, along with surging repayments to a range of international private creditors, is putting enormous financial strain on developing economies.”High debt servicing costs can suffocate spending on public services like education and healthcare, and limit their ability to respond to economic and climate shocks.The 46 least developed countries (LDCs) spent a significant share – about 20 percent – of their tax revenues on external public debt in 2023. Lowy’s report implies this will increase even more this year.

For context, Germany used 8.4 percent of its budget to repay debt in 2023.Lowy also raised questions about whether China will use these debts for “geopolitical leverage” in the Global South, especially with Washington slashing foreign aid under President Donald Trump.

“As Beijing shifts into the role of debt collector, Western governments remain internally focused, with aid declining and multilateral support waning,” the report said.

While Chinese lending is also beginning to slow down across the developing world, the report said there were two areas that seemed to be bucking the trend.She began riding Satan’s Barrel at 17, drawn to it by curiosity while searching for work. Now 25, she’s a key performer in this iconic Indonesian night fair act.

Riding in Satan’s Barrel requires courage. The riders don’t wear helmets on the velodrome track, also known as the Wall of Death.Wahyuni always rides with one other biker, and sometimes as many as five ride on the circular track, its painted wooden walls 6 to 10 metres (19 to 33 feet) in diameter.

That, of course, makes the audience nervous.Wahyuni works at least four hours a night. One recent evening, the single mother took her 5-year-old daughter to the fair, fed her, then let her wait at the ticket box during the show.