A new report from Australian think tank the Lowy Institute says developing and low-income countries now owe record debts to China. Those loan repayments have piled up since they accepted funding through Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative in the 2010s. Now, China is holding back more funding as it waits to collect its debts--and faces domestic and international pressure to do so. Riley Duke, the author of the report says that Beijing now faces a balancing act in maintaining political and economic relationships with its loan recipients.
