China’s rapidly changing role in international development is the subject of intense debate, with profound impact on economies, societies and the environment globally. Against this backdrop, a new issue of the IDS Bulletin brings together analysis of the lead institutions and policies guiding China’s development activities. It aims to provide a better understanding of China’s contributions to international development and the implications for global development cooperation.
China is the second largest economy in the world and the largest South–South cooperation (SSC) provider, with the country’s increasing overseas development activities – centred around the Belt and Road Initiative – reshaping the landscape of global development. China’s approaches to development are distinct from traditional donors and are having a significant impact on global development cooperation governance architecture. This presents a challenge for China and the world making it critical to address gaps in knowledge to better understand China’s internal governance on development issues. And its potential global impact.
In response, a total of 20 authors contributed analysis to the IDS Bulletin from countries including Ethiopia, Malaysia, UK, Germany, France, Belgium, Canada, India and China, to bring a global perspective to a range of cross-cutting topics. These include the new Asian development finance, China’s impacts on development thinking and policies, China’s partnerships with NGOs, the ownership, and the effectiveness of China’s aid projects and of South-South and triangular cooperation.
Titled ‘China and International Development: Knowledge, Governance, and Practice’ the IDS Bulletin is edited by Xiaoyun Li, a Chair Professor at China Agricultural University (CAU), Jing Gu, Senior Research Fellow and Director of the Centre for Rising Powers and Global Development at IDS and leader of the IDS China Centre, and Chuanhong Zhang, Associate Professor at the Department of Development Management, College of Humanities and Development Studies, and Director of the Center for International Development Aid Studies at the College of International Development and Global Agriculture (CIDGA).
The ambition is for this IDS Bulletin to lead to a greater mutual understanding of China’s approach to global development and help promote effective development cooperation.
