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Opinion

Mongolian dam belies Xi's promise of a 'small and beautiful' BRI

Funded by Chinese loans, project carries environmental and social risks

| Mongolia
The reservoir for the Erdeneburen hydroelectric project would submerge a large area now used by migratory birds and herders from various ethnic groups.    © AP

Munkhnaran Bayarlkhagva, previously a staff member of the National Security Council of Mongolia, is an independent geopolitical analyst in Ulaanbaatar.

As China marked the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative with leaders from participating nations in October, President Xi Jinping declared that the program had begun prioritizing smaller and greener projects.

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