That is likely the main reason. In Myanmar, they did the same a little over a decade ago. By moving up north to a newly built city with 20-lane highway and lots of bunkers to hide (I only saw photos of them being built and they are most likely for the military government and their families to hide out before they move away if something happens), the military thinks it can buy some time and defend better in case of civil war or foreign invasion.
> Some international financing has been secured for rail links, and a $3 billion Chinese loan has helped fund the business district, built by China State Construction Engineering Corp (CSCEC).
When the west does it → Colonization
When the east does it → Charitable Chinese living to Communist ideals, totally not trying to subjugate a country economically when they can't pay back loans.
I agree. It goes both ways. I think the above commenter is either a Chinese or an empathizer. I recent had a back-and-forth conversation with someone from China on Reddit and it really surprised me that the person seems to think his government's actions are all good/fair:
https://old.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/m535p0/at_least_...
A few of my friends from Myanmar are descendants of Chinese families, they say that whenever they read Chinese online forums, they see this selfish/apathetic approach (only my business/my money/my family/my race matters) again and again. I think a lot of people in China are brainwashed to see both sides and they are now conditioned to take the side of "the west is always blaming us" (which is partly true, but partly false as all things go in life).
