Foreign aid in China

Author: Zhou Hong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-02-01
Features: China is one of the largest recipient countries in the world. In the 60 years following World War II, China has received foreign aid from various channels and of different types. In terms of volume, the inflow of foreign aid into China is far lower than foreign investment, but its influence is no less significant than that of foreign investment. An important reason for this is that foreign aid activities are not limited to the economic sphere. Within the principles and methods of aid, there is a reflection of the donor's national strength, social power, and cultural influence. Along with the aid money flowing into China, there were not only "preferential capital" but also the technology, concepts, and methods of the donors. While China was digesting, absorbing, and learning from these technologies, concepts, and methods, it also carried out large-scale economic construction and institutional reforms. As a result, the power of foreign aid tools surpassed that of traditional diplomatic tools. The author of this book examines the institutions involved in aid to China and their methods, analyzes the changes in concepts, methods, and mechanisms brought about by foreign aid, and evaluates the role of foreign aid in the formation of the "Chinese development model." It aims to help explain the channels and significance of foreign aid in the interconnectedness, communication, assistance, and influence among international powers.