Well, no, the Chinese government can make this project work. They likely have no interest in making this element work AS STATED, and the discussion of the merits of the project while ignoring that possibility is ignoring the likely propaganda.
That’s the problem I’m pointing out: governments engage in propaganda, even when they are being fully honest, and ignoring that element when talking about technical things is inappropriate if you are safe to discuss those things.
If you want some great examples of propaganda removed from the emotions of our day, and without any if the nastiness of the Nazi regime,.check out some of the work by the undisputed masters of the craft: the us war office after WW2
Hell many people don’t even think the war office was engaged in propaganda 
Also seriously on the fentanyl bit, I know china invented gunpowder not cartography, but Britain is the OTHER WAY, and we didn’t have anything to do with the opium wars.
Well I don’t think we did 
Edit to add: also how the hell did china nearly collapse the economy of the strongest empire of that time with tea? Tea. No seriously, wtf how.
