Page 10 - AT

A10 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 27 sepTember 2018

Asian victors may find anti-China campaign vows hard to keep

By EMILY SCHMALL deal that eliminates most
Associated Press tariffs on Maldivian exports,
NEW DELHI (AP) — Three primarily fish, and opens
Muslim-majority Asian the island nation to Chi-
countries have elected nese goods and services,
leaders who campaigned including in finance, health
on a promise to temper care and tourism.
China's growing influence, China is already the Mal-
but analysts say reducing dives' primary source of
the foothold of the world's tourists, whose spending
second-largest economy largely drives the econo-
won't be easy because of my, and Beijing is investing
the billions of dollars in de- hundreds of millions of dol-
velopment projects that lars in an airport expansion,
are already under way. housing development and
The surprising elections in other projects.
recent months of nonage- China considers Maldives
narian Mahathir Mohamad a key cog in "Belt and
in Malaysia, cricketer Imran Road" projects following
Khan in Pakistan and long- This combination of file photos show, from left to right; then Malaysia’s Prime Minister-elect Mahathir along ancient trade routes
time opposition lawmaker Mohamad, Maldives President-elect Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and Pakistan politician Imran Khan. through the Indian Ocean
Ibrahim Mohamed Solih Associated Press and Central Asia.
in the Maldives buck a re- The Center for Global De-
gional trend toward au- victory in May 9 elections, tional debt that it said wors- government also negoti- velopment, a Washington
thoritarianism, and could ushering in the country's first ened under Najib's rule. The ated agreements with Chi- think tank, estimates Chi-
present an obstacle for Chi- change of power since in- projects were part of "Belt nese power companies to na's loans to Maldives total
nese President Xi Jinping's dependence from Britain in and Road" but Mahathir supply much needed elec- at least $1.3 billion, a quar-
hallmark "Belt and Road 1957. said the deals struck by Na- tricity to energy-starved ter of the island nation's
Initiative" to build ports, It led to a political earth- jib were too costly and un- Pakistan. However, criticism gross domestic product.
highways and other trade- quake for Malaysia, sweep- fair to Malaysia. has been loud about the The country is considered
related infrastructure. ing aside the government ___ terms of the agreements by the World Bank and
Countries including India, of Prime Minister Najib PAKISTAN and the revolving debt the IMF to be at high risk
the U.S. and Japan are Razak, whose reputation While in opposition, Paki- costs to Pakistan. of debt distress because of
concerned that China's was tarnished by a monu- stan's new prime minister, Khan's earlier stridency has its vulnerability to outside
massive initiative is part of mental corruption scandal former cricket star Imran softened since July elec- shocks.
an effort to build a China- and the imposition of an Khan, questioned whether tions propelled him to pow- "The kind of debts the Chi-
centric world order in which unpopular sales tax that a "Belt and Road" partner- er. In one of his first speech- nese have subjected the
all roads lead to Beijing and hurt many of his coalition's ship with China benefited es to the nation as prime Maldivians to, the effects of
their own influence is erod- poor rural supporters. Pakistan. He promised the minister, Khan said Pakistan it will continue to linger on
ed. Mahathir, 93, was credited contracts would be made had much to learn from and Maldivians will have to
Xi said in a late August with modernizing Malaysia public, something the new China, praising its econom- continue to deal with it. We
closed-door event with of- during his 22-year rule that government has yet to do. ic development and an have seen it in Sri Lanka.
ficials in Beijing to mark the ended in 2003 but was also He also promised greater anti-corruption drive, which Even if you have a change
project's fifth anniversary known as a heavy-handed transparency moving for- was the central plank of his in government the depen-
that it was about business, leader who imprisoned op- ward on the multibillion- Pakistan Insaf (Justice) Par- dency on China continues,"
not geopolitics. ponents and subjugated dollar project known as the ty platform. said Ashok Behuria, a South
"The projects are not free the courts. Angered by China Pakistan Economic Zhao, the Chinese re- Asia policy expert at the In-
aid from China, but an the graft scandal involving Corridor Project, which in- searcher, was incredulous stitute for Defense Studies
economic cooperation, a the 1MDB state investment cludes an ambitious cross- that Khan would oppose and Analyses in New Delhi.
kind of business deal," said fund, Mahathir emerged country road system linking Chinese investment, given Solih's friend and the leader
Zhao Gancheng, a Shang- from political retirement Pakistan's Arabian Sea port the massive amounts of of his party, former Mal-
hai Institute of Foreign Stud- and joined the opposition of Gwadar to China. money poured into Paki- dives President Mohamed
ies researcher. to oust Najib, his former pro- The multi-level project was stan. "No Pakistan leader Nasheed, has described
New governments in Ma- tege. undertaken by Pakistan's would risk damaging the China's growing influence
laysia, Pakistan and the Mahathir, the world's old- previous government, al- country's relations with Chi- as a land grab in the guise
Maldives are free to de- est elected leader, has re- though little is known about na," Zhao said. of investments in island de-
cide they no longer want opened investigations into the details of the contracts ___ velopment.
Chinese investment in 1MDB and banned Najib with China and the debt MALDIVES China congratulated Solih
these projects, Zhao said, and his wife from traveling Pakistan would incur as a In the Maldives, an island on his victory and said it
but they should be pre- abroad. Najib is facing 32 result of these deals. nation southwest of India would like the new Maldiv-
pared to compensate Chi- charges of criminal breach Khan promised to reveal with around 400,000 peo- ian government to uphold
na accordingly. How new- of trust, corruption, abuse all to Pakistanis, who have ple, Solih declared victory the previous administra-
ly elected governments of power and money laun- watched with a mix of en- in Sunday's presidential tion's policies toward Chi-
could buy their way out of dering. He has denied any thusiasm and caution the election, an unexpected na, including the free trade
China's grasp remains to be wrongdoing and his trial is development that has tak- result against an incum- agreement.
seen. to start next year. en place in recent years as bent government accused While campaigning, So-
___ Mahathir's government has four-lane superhighways of suppression and the jail- lih criticized the agree-
MALAYSIA also axed China-backed open up linking northern ing of political opponents. ment, complaining that
Malaysia's former authori- energy pipelines and a rail areas to other parts of the Outgoing Maldives Presi- Parliament was only given
tarian leader Mahathir project along peninsular country. dent Abdul Yameen Gay- five minutes to review a
Mohamad led an opposi- Malaysia's eastern coast as As well as road construc- oom traveled to Beijing last several-hundred-page
tion alliance to a stunning part of efforts to reduce na- tion, Pakistan's previous year to sign a free-trade document.q