China’s global engagement with countries in the developing world is rapidly evolving in an era where traditional aid discourses and the practices of emerging powers in international development are undergoing significant changes. As the largest South-South cooperation provider and the world’s second-largest economy, China’s development activities overseas have sparked debates regarding its role as a rising power in international development and its implications for the post-liberal global order. Over the past few decades, China has substantially diversified its instruments and infrastructure in development practices. While some view China as a catalyst for new models of development and growth, others accuse China of being responsible for the debt crises faced by many recipient economies. China’s involvement in international development has led to wide-ranging impacts.

This seminar series invites experts from five continents to engage in a three-part discussion on the instruments, finance, and infrastructures of China’s international development. In the first part, we explore the evolution and diversification of instruments in China’s international development practices, including its deployment of foreign aid and development finance, as well as its evolving role in international security arrangements and global economic governance institutions. In part two, we delve into the composition of Chinese development finance, comparing it to the World Bank, and examine how the Global South perceives its local impact. In part three, we take China’s global infrastructure engagement as an example to illustrate the different actors and approaches involved in China’s international development practices, as well as the role of state-led development. Using the three panel discussions, we illustrate the wide-ranging impacts of Chinese international development engagement at the local, national, and global levels.

Seminar Series Schedule

Day 1 — April 25 9:00 AM — 10:30 AM

The Diversification of China’s International Development Instruments

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In the first part, we explore the evolution and diversification of instruments in China’s international development practices, including its deployment of foreign aid and development finance, as well as its evolving role in international security arrangements and global economic governance institutions. Prof. Xiaoyang Tang will draw from her decades of research to offer an overview of Chinese development finance and its changing characteristics. Prof. Min Ye will discuss the motivations behind China’s Belt and Road Initiative from the perspective of Chinese domestic politics and trace its evolution over time. Prof. Jennifer Bouey will review China’s health cooperation with the Global South and focus on specific case studies to understand its emerging features. Prof. Courtney Fung will explore China’s growing role in international security cooperation, comparing it with India’s role.

Day 2 — April 26 9:00 AM — 10:30 AM

China’s Role in the Global Debt Landscape

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In part two, we delve into the composition of Chinese development finance, comparing it to the World Bank, and examine how the Global South perceives its local impact. Prof. Yan Wang will situate Chinese development finance in the global debt landscape by comparing it with World Bank loans. Dr. Ammar Malik will draw on large datasets to discuss the impact of China’s overseas development finance on the Global South at large. Mr. Mustafa Sayed will offer a local interpretation of the nature of Chinese loans to Pakistan and their role in the development of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, the first and flagship economic corridor in China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

Day 3 — May 2 9:00 AM — 10:30 AM

Diversification of Chinese Global Infrastructure

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This panel discusses China’s diversifying role in global infrastructure development. Prof. Austin Strange will provide an overview of the scale and scope of China’s overseas infrastructure using large datasets he developed. Prof. Wendy Leutert and Dr Isaac Kardon will discuss China’s global port development involvement and its economic and security implications. Prof. Oscar Otele will introduce China’s involvement in railway development. He will delve into local elite collusion and contestation in the largest infrastructure investment in Kenya since its independence, financed by China. Dr. Andrea Pollio will use years of fieldwork in Kenya and South Africa to outline China’s growing involvement in digital infrastructure in Africa and its implications for urban growth and entrepreneurship development in Sub-Saharan Africa.