Collapse of China-built Bangkok tower raises concerns about Belt and Road construction practices

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...

China’s image in Thailand is crucial for Beijing, which has been competing unofficially with Washington for decades to influence Bangkok’s diplomacy, politics, economy and military.

China has fostered economic ties to Bangkok through education, investment, tourism and financial aid.

Investigators extracted two types of steel reinforcing bars, known as rebars, from the debris of the collapsed skyscraper. These bars were supposed to support the building while encased in cement pillars.

After the earthquake, the Iron and Steel Institute of Thailand reportedly discovered that the rebars’ chemical composition, mass and stress strength appeared to fail its tests...

Photographs displayed by the ministry and local media showed a brand name embossed on a steel rebar dug out of the wreckage linked to a Chinese steelmaker.

Some Thais have expressed anxiety about Beijing’s increasing influence on the country’s development.

Thailand’s sophisticated tourism industry, multibillion-dollar high-rise condominium and construction market, insurance companies and other sectors have taken hits since the earthquake.

Economists estimated that the Southeast Asian nation faces a loss of more than $1 billion from the quake.