CHINA has described as “groundless” the fears raised by some critics that countries, including the Philippines, that availed of loans under its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) would fall into a debt trap.

At the Belt and Road China-Philippines Forum in Pasay City on Friday, Tan Qingsheng, deputy chief of mission at the Chinese embassy in Manila, said this, adding that Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the BRI in 2013 to promote open and inclusive economic cooperation.