At a time when Western countries contract foreign aid funding, China expands its foreign assistance. It’s the developing country that gives the most and from 2010 to 2012, China provided foreign aid to 121 countries.
China’s foreign aid model focuses on South-South cooperation, or countries in the Global South providing funds to other developing countries. China also focuses on bilateral aid and infrastructure investment, as seen in its Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.
As the international community focuses on the UN sustainable development goals, China is committed to sustainable development internationally through investment. While China’s foreign financial assistance crosses the globe, almost half of it ends up in African countries.
To discuss China’s foreign aid to Africa:
- He Wenping, director of African Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
- Ayodele Odusola, chief economist for the United Nations Development Programme for Africa.
- Deborah Brautigam, director of the China-Africa Research Initiative at Johns Hopkins University.
To discuss China’s focus on South-South cooperation:
- Jorge Chediek, director of the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation.
- Martin Khor, executive director of The South Centre.