China’s recently completed Hongqi Bridge, one of the tallest in the world at over 2,050 feet above the river, partially collapsed Tuesday, sending massive plumes of smoke into the air and concrete blocks tumbling to the ground below.
Luckily, authorities had noticed anomalies and cleared the area beforehand, resulting in no injuries. However, the bridge, which connected China with Tibet, was certainly left in bad shape.
**Possible Cause: Landslide**
It appears a landslide may have caused the disaster. Authorities reported that the 2,487-foot-long Hongqi Bridge, which connects Sichuan province with Tibet as part of a national highway, was closed on Monday after cracks began to appear on nearby slopes and roads in the mountainous region.
On Tuesday, a landslide caused the bridge to fracture and collapse, according to officials in the Sichuan city of Ma’erkang, also known in Tibetan as Barkam.
**Concerns Over Construction and Broader Implications**
While the collapse raises questions about the construction quality of the bridge and whether any shortcuts were taken, it also shines a light on China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Through the BRI, China has been building infrastructure projects across Latin America, the Caribbean, and other areas around the globe.
China presents itself as a benevolent force with these efforts, but critics and China hawks argue that they are primarily trying to expand their global influence and cause third-world countries to fall into crushing debt to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
**Analysis from Sarah Anderson**
Writer Sarah Anderson, who files the “Tracking China in the Americas” series for our sister site PJ Media, noted on Tuesday how the Hongqi disaster could spell trouble for other BRI projects:
*“You may be thinking: This happened in China. What does it have to do with the Western Hemisphere? Well, let’s just say that China’s disastrous projects don’t stay in the homeland. And that’s the problem. China has its heavy Communist hand in infrastructure projects across Latin America and the Caribbean, largely through its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). It’s invested billions in dams, ports, railways, and highways, often in exchange for access to resources, diplomatic leverage, or debt that strains entire economies.”*
She added that, as Secretary of State Marco Rubio pointed out, and as the collapse of the Hongqi Bridge demonstrates, the work is not necessarily high-quality and is often problematic — if these state-owned companies even bother to finish it.
Anderson lists numerous projects, such as Venezuela’s Tinaco-Anaco High-Speed Railway, that are either experiencing problems or were simply never completed.
Her chilling conclusion?
*“What starts as a flashy project that gets everyone excited often ends with poor workmanship, environmental destruction, corruption, and debt that leaves these nations vulnerable.”*
**Symbol of Cost-Cutting and Warning for the Hemisphere**
The collapse of the Hongqi Bridge symbolizes the type of cost-cutting infrastructure disasters that China exports to the Western Hemisphere.
While China will have its hands full cleaning up after this mess and figuring out what went wrong, the catastrophe is certain to sound the alarm on other BRI projects.
Be careful what you say “yes” to.
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**Editor’s Note:** After more than 40 days of impacting Americans, a few Democrats have finally caved. The so-called Schumer Shutdown was never about principle—just inflicting pain for political points.
https://redstate.com/bobhoge/2025/11/12/sky-high-bridge-partially-collapses-in-wild-video-raises-questions-about-chinas-belt-and-road-projects-n2196141
