The Issue Unable to repay its debt, Sri Lanka gave China a controlling equity stake and a 99-year lease for Hambantota port, which it handed over in December 2017.The economic rationale for Hambantota is weak, given existing capacity and expansion plans at Colombo port, fueling concerns that it could become a Chinese naval facility. Recommendations Recipient countries should link infrastructure projects to broader development strategies that assess projects within larger networks and monitor overall debt levels.The international community should expand alternatives to Chinese infrastructure financing but cannot and should not support all proposed projects. The view from Hambantota’s Martello Tower...