Actually the biggest debt to China is owed by the US. Close to a trillion USD! Why not listed here?

Those aren't loans so much as China buying TBills it's not the same. The US sets the terms of the "loan" and China accepts to take on that debt. Also China uses that to stabilize it's own currency. It's more like an investment to China's benefit that still helps the US.

Glad I'm not the only one noticing that the US is glaringly missing from the list. Estimates are $800 billion to over $1 trillion. The article's author doesn't even mention the US or explain why they're omitted which just leads to more questions. As well as the omission of the GDP of each nation listed. If the debt/GDP ratio is deemed "too small to worry about" for the US that's one thing, but why not even mention it?

Giving loans way way better then bombings these countries back into stone-age like US n her allies did to many countries.
Now those countries will be poor, ruined n suffering, a big gift from the hypocrite forked tongues West

Why is USA debt not shown. Doesn't China have a bunch of US bonds.

Buying bonds (securities) in a public, liquid market is not the same as the external debt being talked about here, where financing is done by institutions and is tied to potentially risky projects that may or not work out.

Think about this being "lent directly" and with specific consequences, where securities like Treasuries are more indirect.

To your point, there are $70 trillion of government bonds issued by various governments around the world. China is the 2nd largest foreign holder of these bonds for the U.S., but it's very different from the external debt listed above.

One other big practical difference: U.S. Treasuries pay out in U.S. dollars (which U.S. government controls and can create more of, if it wants). Zambia, Angola, and these other nations have to pay back in foreign currency, of which there is no easy out for if they struggle to pay back

I don't know if you're correct but it sounds like you are, so I have to say great answer!

Not that everything has to in the context of the US, but most of the comments are about US debt.

The author should have spent a paragraph explaining what you did so well.

So, the USA was excluded. Must have paid back the 3 trillion George Bush borrowed

It was one of the many things Obama had to do to try and save our country from a complete depression after the utter fiasco of the W administrations.

LOL

99% of the countries in the above list cannot pay back. They are in China's trap. This is why China is pretending like a world power. They are proven crooked.

All world powers have dealt crookedly with poorer countries. Every single one of them. China got a giant boost when Trump did not sign the TPP. They immediately got many countries to sign onto their a Silk Road deal.

It's only bad when China does it.

silk road is a total failure! The world knows about China's arrogance, reverse engineering, copycat manufacturing, disregarding patent laws, human rights abuses, atrocity, intimidation & proxy operations.

Looks like China will eventually own majority stake in continents of Africa and, to a lesser extent, South America.

Would have been nice to see this as a % of the respective GDP for more context.

They propose Belt and road initiative to a country with boost in infrastructure of it through the loan.. Then nothing much would be happenning economically and loan brought country would trapped in debt and will be in lot of trouble from China

Loan extensions granted - alll the projects are profitable - these China debts are NOT the problem

All the projects are profitable, but only for China. Even in cases they work properly and are not half baked and break down, a lot of them are not economically viable for the host cou try. They are mostly for entrapment and inflating GDP numbers.

I believe the US owes about $1 Trillion to China but didn't make the list???? This makes the list seem a bit slanted.

Bonds are not the same as loans..

Be interesting to see the GDP of each of these countries.

This is what China has been doing. Trap all the small countries into their agenda.

And the IMF?

Debpt trap "diplomacy" in action..

The world knows about China's arrogance, reverse engineering, copycat manufacturing, disregarding patent laws, human rights abuses, atrocity, intimidation & proxy operations.

Wonder if China owes Afghanistan money for the military supplies they received in 2021?

Interesting to observe the total outstanding debt is less than the cumulative net worth of some individual world billionaires. Also thinking the US would be listed given widely held (but apparently erroneous) beliefs of its huge indebtedness to China.

I think th3se African countries will pull a Zimbabwe move if China ever acts tough.

Pakistan to gayo.