China likes to portray itself as the champion of the global south — developing countries that make up the majority of the world’s population. On the surface, the narrative is an easy sell. China’s journey from an impoverished nation to economic superpower in four decades is a compelling story. In recent years, China’s trade and investment in developing countries have grown by leaps and bounds. President Xi Jinping’s signature trillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has made China the largest funder of infrastructure projects in the global south.

Look more closely, however, and it’s clear China is nowhere near as magnanimous a benefactor as it claims. In the battle for hearts and minds in the developing world, its victory is far from assured.