A case study of China’s aid delivery conditions for poverty alleviation in Guinea
Start Date
13-4-2023 10:50 AM
End Date
13-4-2023 12:20 PM
Description
A substantial part of the discussions regarding traditional donors as well as (re)emerging donors like China have also focused on the issue of conditionalities attached to aid and the extent to which those conditions address poverty alleviation. From the 1980s onwards, traditional donors began imposing conditions in order to guarantee the effectiveness of their aid. China, however, adopted a no strings attached policy much earlier in 1960. By adopting this policy, China implies that it does not impose any conditions on its recipients. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to identify the discrepancy between the principles stated in China’s aid policy documents and the practices of its aid in its partner countries. Furthermore, the study examined China’s aid delivery conditions and those of Guinea’s traditional partners, primarily France. As a result, both donors; conditionalities were examined in relation to their focus on poverty reduction. Based on the findings of this study, China's assistance is subject to some hidden conditions. It is evident that there is a discrepancy between what China claims and stands for and how its aid is actually implemented. Despite France adhering to the OECD/DAC declaration to enhance local ownership, the findings indicate that some old generations of conditionalities (political and economic) remain associated with France's aid delivery. Furthermore, the finding indicates that both China and France’s aid conditions are concerned with reducing poverty. There are however differences in the way poverty reduction is explicitly (France) or implicitly (China) incorporated into the conditionality.
Document Type
Presentation
Recommended Citation
Diakite, A. D. (2023, April). A case study of China’s aid delivery conditions for poverty alleviation in Guinea. Presented at the International Symposium on Africa-China Relations in an Era of Uncertain Future. Lingnan University, Hong Kong.
A case study of China’s aid delivery conditions for poverty alleviation in Guinea
A substantial part of the discussions regarding traditional donors as well as (re)emerging donors like China have also focused on the issue of conditionalities attached to aid and the extent to which those conditions address poverty alleviation. From the 1980s onwards, traditional donors began imposing conditions in order to guarantee the effectiveness of their aid. China, however, adopted a no strings attached policy much earlier in 1960. By adopting this policy, China implies that it does not impose any conditions on its recipients. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to identify the discrepancy between the principles stated in China’s aid policy documents and the practices of its aid in its partner countries. Furthermore, the study examined China’s aid delivery conditions and those of Guinea’s traditional partners, primarily France. As a result, both donors; conditionalities were examined in relation to their focus on poverty reduction. Based on the findings of this study, China's assistance is subject to some hidden conditions. It is evident that there is a discrepancy between what China claims and stands for and how its aid is actually implemented. Despite France adhering to the OECD/DAC declaration to enhance local ownership, the findings indicate that some old generations of conditionalities (political and economic) remain associated with France's aid delivery. Furthermore, the finding indicates that both China and France’s aid conditions are concerned with reducing poverty. There are however differences in the way poverty reduction is explicitly (France) or implicitly (China) incorporated into the conditionality.