China hopes a new framework might help countries avoid unsustainable levels of Belt and Road-related debt. But, as Malaysia has shown, some hard bargaining may also be in order.

Spending vast sums on infrastructure projects that countries arguably cannot afford and may not need is a risky business, as the actions of Malaysia’s new government shows.

The country’s efforts to wipe the slate clean after the $4.5 billion 1MDB scandal should not include purging the country of Chinese infrastructure investment.