China Wants to Dig the Nicaragua Canal

Authors: 

Mary Anastasia O’Grady

Summary: 

The Hong Kong development company HKND is building the Nicaraguan Canal that will cost $70 billion dollars and connect the Caribbean Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. It will go through

Lake Nicaragua and many residential areas. Many native citizens of the surrounding areas are outraged with the fact that they had no choice into it being built or not.

Who: 

Hong Kong development company HKND

What: 

A canal to connect the Caribbean with the Pacific, much like the Panama Canal

When: 

Now, construction has already started

Where: 

Nicaragua

Why: 

Shipping to the US ports will generate tax money, jobs for Nicaragua

Bias: 

The WSJ article gives us the economic and social side of the story, the bias is obviously that they don’t agree with the canal. It could be argued from the Chinese and Nicaraguan side that it will create jobs and boost the economy, but this article explains that those are false promises being made. It lays out the economics and shows that it will only benefit those who regulate the shipping industry through the new canal.

Democratic Value: 

Justice, Common Good: Displaces thousands of people without their consent, there was never a vote about building a canal.

By Conner and Isabella