PHOTOS: African leaders arrive in China for the third Belt and Road Forum

Around 130 leaders from Africa, South America, and various emerging markets have convened in China for a conference hosted by the Chinese government, to mark the 10th anniversary of its Belt and Road Initiative.

China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is an ambitious infrastructure development program seeking to link China with markets and economies across the globe. 

Under the Belt and Road Initiative, a signature policy of President Xi Jinping, Chinese companies have built ports, highways, railways, power facilities, and various infrastructure projects globally, all with the aim of enhancing international trade and economic prosperity.

The third Belt and Road Forum for international cooperation is set to begin on October 17th and end on the 18th.  

African leaders including, Denis Sassou N'guesso from The Congo, Abiy Ahmed from Ethiopia, William Ruto from Kenya, and Kashim Shettima from Nigeria have arrived in Beijing for the conference. 

While China's massive infrastructure investments hold the potential to usher in a new era of trade and economic growth for Asian and other economies, there are concerns among skeptics that China might be laying a debt trap for borrowing governments.

The massive Chinese development loans that funded the projects have burdened some poorer countries with heavy debts.

Some analysts also see the project as an unsettling extension of China’s rising power, and as the costs of many of the projects have skyrocketed, opposition has grown in some countries.

Presently, more than 150 countries are listed as having signed up to the BRI.