China's Resource Risks
河蟹/和谐
On the right is a photo of Chinese artist Ai Weiwei's River Crabs installation at the Hirschorn Museum in Washington, D.C.
The word for river crabs in Mandarin is hexie, which is a homonym for "harmony" and also a slang term for censorship.
This image captures what this blog hopes to achieve--to show that harmony in resource and infrastructure projects is illusive. To the contrary, such ventures often lead to discord within China and in the "neighborhood."
The issues at stake are often inadequately discussed, partly due to censorship in China, but also as a result of the sheer number of projects underway as a result of Chinese President Xi Jinping's signature Belt and Road Initiative, launched in 2013.
This blog will focus on the resources projects China is undertaking along its borders and farther afield. We hope to identify the risks involved for China and host countries.