As reported by "The Maritime Executive" at the beginning of December, a study by various US universities shows the dangerous effects for socio-ecological marine systems caused by the port development projects being aggressively promoted by China - particularly in the Caribbean and around Africa.
Initial situation
It is well known that China lures many developing countries into long-term debt through harbour, power plant and road investments in order to then be able to exert intensive influence by acquiring ownership and usage rights. A good 20 per cent of all Chinese financing initiatives for development projects abroad - a volume of almost 65 billion US dollars - come from the China Development Bank and the Export-Import Bank of China, the two most active lenders.
Study object
Researchers from Boston, Queensland, Santa Barbara and Colorado State Universities are now expressing "growing concern" about the impact on marine biodiversity and indigenous coastal communities caused by this rush to coastal development due to Chinese funding. For their study as First in-depth evaluation the risks to marine habitats across Beijing's investment portfolio, the team quantified the Risks of 114 coastal projects in 39 countrieswhich were financed by China from 2008 to 2019.
Study result
The study shows that of Harbours have the greatest impact on marine systems, with the risks continuing to have an effect even 30 kilometres away. Power stations, roads and other facilities bring localised risks that are most pronounced in Africa and the Caribbean, with indigenous coastal communities in West Africa being the most vulnerable.
Harbour investments in the Bahamas, Antigua, Barbuda, Cuba, Mauritania, Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Angola, Mozambique, Djibouti and Sri Lanka were identified as the main drivers of the regional risk hotspots. Port projects in Myanmar, Kenya and Liberia have the lowest environmental risks.
The only Fishing harbourincluded in the study, the Beira fishing harbour rehabilitation project in Mozambique, has the highest single risk of medium impact on marine habitats.
Recommendation
The researchers believe that an agenda is needed that consistently scrutinises both the BRI (Belt and Road Initiative) and all of China's other overseas development financing. This is the only way to persuade Beijing to at least apply its domestic "environmental risk management guidelines", i.e. at least the basic environmental standards applicable to China, outside of China and to extend them to its foreign lending practices.
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