Institute of Development Studies

Officials from China’s Xinjiang province visit IDS

9 December 2011

Last month IDS welcomed a local-government delegation from the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in Western China.

The 14 Chinese officials were keen to learn from IDS about new approaches to development and future collaboration.

The meeting aimed to:

• Share knowledge on possible new approaches IDS may have for development, policy and practice
• Explore the use of innovation, particularly in support of enterprises and economic development
• Seek opportunities for future cooperation and consultation.

The meeting also provided a good opportunity to bring lessons from Western China’s development to an international audience.

Rich in natural resources

During the meeting, participants identified a clear opportunity for potential collaboration, as IDS conducts much research into natural resource governance and how good governance can lead to poverty reduction.

The head of the delegation, Duan Shengrong explained that Xinjiang Province, which is seven times larger than the UK, is rich in natural resources, yet is comparatively economically behind much of China. He said: ‘In a way, we are quite similar to Africa as we would like to use natural resources to our economic gain and climb up the value chain.’

Matthew Lockwood, Climate Change Team Leader, urged the visitors to consider wind energy as a resource. Dr Lockwood explained that because of Xinjiang’s location in Western China, the region has good access to wind energy, which could provide it with the opportunity for economic growth and sustainability.

Future relationships

IDS have an established relationship with the International Poverty Reduction Centre in China (IPRCC), and the potential for a trilateral partnership including the visiting delegates was a key point in the discussion.

Currently, IDS fellow Jing Gu is leading a project funded by the United Nations Development Programme and the Chinese government ‘Strengthening the Capacity of the International Poverty Reduction Center in China for South-South Cooperation’. The project addresses how international development assistance is given to developing countries (particularly Africa) and if there are ways of improving China's development assistance to create opportunities for better development. This research has strong implications for China’s domestic development and its international development cooperation strategy.