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→Iran
As China is Iran's largest trading partner, the agreement, in addition to providing Iran with modern technology, would help its economy to grow. China, among other countries, helped Iran with its nuclear development several decades ago and has been regularly championing a return to the [[Iran nuclear deal]] or the JCPOA. For China, Iran is a welcome counterbalance to US influence in the region, as the only large regional power that is not aligned with the US, in addition to having enormous oil and natural gas resources and providing a large market of more than 80 million citizens for Chinese goods. The two countries, despite their marked ideological differences, share an authoritarian, anti-Western outlook, making each attractive to the other. According to a recent report by risk consultancy firm Verisk Maplecroft: "China is pivoting towards more autocratic regimes that represent greater stability for its supply lines than democracies that are, or may become, hostile to Beijing". China has even helped Iran crack down on dissidents by exporting its digital authoritarianism in the form of surveillance equipment.
As China is Iran's largest trading partner, the agreement, in addition to providing Iran with modern technology, would help its economy to grow. China, among other countries, helped Iran with its nuclear development several decades ago and has been regularly championing a return to the [[Iran nuclear deal]] or the JCPOA. For China, Iran is a welcome counterbalance to US influence in the region, as the only large regional power that is not aligned with the US, in addition to having enormous oil and natural gas resources and providing a large market of more than 80 million citizens for Chinese goods. The two countries, despite their marked ideological differences, share an authoritarian, anti-Western outlook, making each attractive to the other. According to a recent report by risk consultancy firm Verisk Maplecroft: "China is pivoting towards more autocratic regimes that represent greater stability for its supply lines than democracies that are, or may become, hostile to Beijing". China has even helped Iran crack down on dissidents by exporting its digital authoritarianism in the form of surveillance equipment.
==Developing world debt trap==
The most notorious Belt and Road project is the Hambantota port in [[Sri Lanka]] that is now Chinese owned after the Sri Lankan government couldn't meet repayments and now hosts Chinese submarines. There are many other projects in [[Europe]], [[Africa]], [[Asia]], and the [[Pacific]]. For instance,
*a hydro dam in [[Ecuador]];
*a Chinese run satellite control station in [[Argentina]];
*a railway upgrade in [[Hungary]];
*a facial recognition project in [[Zimbabwe]];
*port construction and operation projects in [[Israel]];
*coal-fired power stations in [[Pakistan]];
*gas pipelines in [[Tajikistan]];
*a new port in [[Burma]] with rail access to China
*a high-speed rail line in [[Java]] and
*a wharf big enough for an aircraft carrier in [[Vanuatu]]
The Burma port is intended to ship [[Persian Gulf]] oil to China without rounding the cape at [[Singapore]], with the sea lanes defended by the Chinese naval base at Sri Lanka; the Vanuatu wharf is to counter the U.S. naval presence at [[Guam]] which defends shipping lanes of Persian Gulf oil through the [[South China Sea]] to [[Taiwan]], [[Japan]], and [[South Korea]], key U.S. [[allies]] and trading partners.
Zimbabwe is also a key supplier of [[lithium]], used to power electric cars and iphones. [[Communist China]] is seeking to dominate the world supply by making countries indebted to it through the Belt and Road inititiative.<ref>https://thediplomat.com/2019/02/china-rushes-to-dominate-global-supply-of-lithium/</ref> [[Australia]], Argentina, and [[Namibia]] are also big suppliers.<ref>https://investingnews.com/daily/resource-investing/battery-metals-investing/lithium-investing/lithium-producing-countries/</ref>
One key element in Communist China's Belt and Road ambitions is building a modern ocean-going navy; prior to 2017 Communist China's military budget was largely funded by its [[trade surplus]] with the United States. American consumers were paying to build a navy to rival its own through the purchase of cheap Chinese manufactured goods and consumer products. American taxpayers then had to meet the challenge of rival military spending by modernization and upgrades of its own defense budget.
==Kra Canal==
==Kra Canal==