China’s Belt and Road Initiative, which aims to build infrastructure and trade links across Eurasia and beyond, is losing momentum as many countries struggle to repay their debts to Beijing. Chinese President Xi Jinping invited President Vladimir Putin to the third Belt and Road Forum this year, which aims to revamp the project and inject new momentum. Bradley Parks, executive director of research group AidData, said that 60% of China’s overseas lending portfolio now supports borrowers in financial distress, compared with 5% in 2010. Analysts suggest that China will not abandon the mega-project, which is closely intertwined with Xi’s legacy, though the long-term sustainability of the initiative has been called into question.