Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka showcase the diversity of China’s engagement strategies in a very multidimensional region but also make clear that influencers across South Asia are learning from each other’s experiences with Chinese money and power.
Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka showcase the diversity of China’s engagement strategies in a very multidimensional region but also make clear that influencers across South Asia are learning from each other’s experiences with Chinese money and power.
First published in CCIJ.
In November every year, Zimbabwe’s second-largest city, Bulawayo, explodes into a magnificent riot of colour as the majestic purple jacaranda and the flame-red flamboyant trees bloom, transforming the wide tree-lined streets into a glorious spectacle.
But beneath this blissful veneer of blossoms is a troubled city struggling to come to terms with a devastating shortage of water and the resultant loss of life.
In June, three months into a Covid-19 lockdown, Bulawayo was blindsided by a totally different disease diarrhoea.
The gastro-intestinal malady, which spreads through the ingestion of contaminated water and food, had killed 13 people by July and infected more than 2 000 others. Some of the survivors suffered mysterious skin disfigurement. And many are yet to settle their hefty medical bills.