China and Australia Overseas Aid: Different Approaches, Different Perceptions
Introduction
| In late November 2011, without much warning, the world entered a new paradigm at the 4th High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in Korea. Instead of building on previous aid agreements, the outcomes in Korea reflected the increasing international influence of non traditional donors like China. Rather than making contributions to the sole gain of the recipient country, China’s development assistance emphasizes mutual benefit and obligation. This approach puts China at odds with the traditional Development Assistance Committee (DAC) which has set the global framework for aid for the last sixty years. What does this China-led shift mean for Australian aid and influence in our region? Do we really understand the nature of Chinese aid? Chinese development assistance has the potential to undermine Australian aid, particularly as China does not partner with other donors and has little transparency. However, China is constantly |
Australia must recognize that the paradigm is shifting and adjust its expectations accordingly. Yet unlike other DAC countries, we are uniquely placed to work effectively with non-traditional donors within the new global framework of South-South cooperation.
In December 2011, Asialink hosted a panel of experts to discuss these and other issues on China and Australia’s overseas aid. Our panellists brought together a range of perspectives from four different vantage points. Philippa Brant provides a clear description of China’s aid structure and clarifies some of the misconceptions commonly attributed to Chinese aid. Chengxin Pan places China’s aid program in the context of its foreign policy. Anthea Mulakala touches more broadly on the emerging Asian approaches to development assistance.
Philippa Brant |
Dr. Chengxin Pan |
Anthea Mulakala |
Introduction to China Aid“A noticeable difference to traditional donor programs is that China makes no direct mention of ‘poverty’ or ‘sustainable development’.” |
Putting China's foreign aid in perspective“For all its foreign policy connotations, China’s foreign aid remains more of an extension of its domestic economic agenda.” |
Asian approaches to cooperation development“Many Asian countries share the experience of being both aid recipients and donors - often simultaneously - leading to an aversion to the term ‘aid’” |
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