With the United States and Europe retreating, international aid is at a crossroads, write Asit K. Biswas and Kris Hartley for Project Syndicate. But all is not lost. As the West turns inward, China is poised to become the new champion of international development.
“Although Chinese ODA is still a fraction of what OECD countries spend, China has signaled its interest in becoming a development leader, especially in the health sector,” they write. “At the 2015 UN Sustainable Development Summit in New York, China pledged $2 billion to help implement the SDG agenda, and China’s flagship ‘Belt and Road Initiative’ includes health cooperation as part of its proposed strategy. In 2014, China also committed $47 million to help contain the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. While that was significantly lower than the U.S. pledge of $1.8 billion, China was among the fastest to deliver on its commitment.”
“China has the tools to become a leader in international development. And, having lifted some 470 million of its own citizens out of extreme poverty between 1990 and 2005, it also has the experience. But, more than anything, China now has the political opportunity.”
“Although Chinese ODA is still a fraction of what OECD countries spend, China has signaled its interest in becoming a development leader, especially in the health sector,” they write. “At the 2015 UN Sustainable Development Summit in New York, China pledged $2 billion to help implement the SDG agenda, and China’s flagship ‘Belt and Road Initiative’ includes health cooperation as part of its proposed strategy. In 2014, China also committed $47 million to help contain the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. While that was significantly lower than the U.S. pledge of $1.8 billion, China was among the fastest to deliver on its commitment.”
“China has the tools to become a leader in international development. And, having lifted some 470 million of its own citizens out of extreme poverty between 1990 and 2005, it also has the experience. But, more than anything, China now has the political opportunity.”
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