in World News Collapse of China-built Bangkok tower raises concerns about Belt and Road construction practices
BANGKOK — China’s global Belt and Road Initiative is under intense scrutiny after just one structure in the Thai capital collapsed in last week’s earthquake: a 30-floor building under construction by the communist country.
The wreckage of the incomplete skyscraper exposed what some analysts said was evidence of substandard construction. It was one piece of the worldwide infrastructure initiative that is a key component of Beijing’s soft diplomacy strategy.
Steel reinforcing rods exposed in the collapse appear to have snapped under the strain of the earthquake. The building, which a Chinese company and a Thai construction firm were building for Thailand’s State Audit Office, was reduced to a huge pile of rubble.
Fifteen deaths have been confirmed, and 72 workers are missing.
“I watched multiple clips of the building collapse from different angles,” said a stunned Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra. “From my experience in the construction industry, I have never seen an issue like this.
“We must investigate thoroughly because a significant portion of the budget was allocated, and the deadline for completion had been extended,” Ms. Paetongtarn said.
The investigation began with a bizarre, troubling sight.
Two days after the earthquake, four Chinese men were captured on video grabbing as many construction-related documents as they could carry and running from the rubble site.