China Development Brief - Other

Interview: "China has saved globalisation”

Fri, 07 Jul 2006 16:13:11 +0100

Bilateral donors are fast winding down their aid programmes in China, but the World Bank is hoping the government of China will be willing to pay for continued Bank assistance in social policy and development projects, according to the Bank’s Resident Representative in China, David Dollar. The Bank’s partnership with China, he told Nick Young, may now also extend to joint projects in Africa, given that China has shown how globalisation can work for the poor.

UK confirms final aid package

Fri, 09 Jun 2006 06:19:27 +0100

The UK government Department for International Development (DFID) will provide GBP 105 million (nearly USD 200 million at current exchange rates) over the next three years for continuing work in China to support basic education, AIDS and TB prevention and care, and water and sanitation, according to its 2006-2011 Country Assistance Plan, finalised in March and formally launched in Beijing in May.

Communist capital flows downstream: China’s aid to Laos

Thu, 09 Feb 2006 10:55:41 +0000

China’s overseas aid “bolsters [a] responsible image” according to a January 19 China Daily editorial that may herald greater transparency in China’s large—and still officially secret—aid portfolio. But there is every sign that, like other donors before it, China will use aid to promote its commercial and geopolitical interests. Here, Tina Qian reports on China’s aid to poor and landlocked Laos, where GDP per capita in 2004 was no more than USD 382, and where almost 20% of GDP comes from international donors.

China Human Development Report: late, sanitised, but welcome

Mon, 06 Feb 2006 04:21:59 +0000

A long-awaited China Human Development Report for 2005, Development with Equity, was finally published in mid-December after delays caused by Chinese government concerns that the report’s central theme—growing disparity of income and opportunity in China—was treated too bluntly.

Central government web portal communicates in English

Mon, 05 Dec 2005 07:31:43 +0000

A new English-language web portal english.gov.cn has been launched by central government in a bid to improve communications with the outside world.

US foundation sponsors anti-terror, arms control initiatives

Thu, 01 Dec 2005 02:30:11 +0000

The Chicago-based MacArthur Foundation has announced a series of grants to Chinese scientific and policy research institutions in a bid to draw China closer into global dialogue and cooperation on arms control, nuclear non-proliferation and anti-terrorism.

Virtual Roundtable - Tourism: Organising the masses

Wed, 02 Nov 2005 06:58:28 +0000

China is the world’s number four destination for international tourists, and the most toured country in the world when day trippers and domestic tourists are also counted. National and local governments are keen to promote the industry, but some Chinese observers are beginning to count the environmental and cultural cost. A China Daily article (October 18) reports that visitors to Zhangjiajie, a world heritage site in western Hunan that derives more than 50% of its revenue from tourism, now find little sign of the local Tujia culture, which has been engulfed by modernity. Local residents interviewed in the article lament their loss of tradition and call for preservation of their culture. But a Beijing University professor asserts in the same article that there is no point in preserving architecture and culture. “Cultural preservation has a high cost,” he is quoted as saying. “It's practical to change Zhangjiajie into a modern city, and it's natural for local Tujias to adjust to modern life.”

UNESCO sponsors Chair in Media and Gender

Wed, 02 Nov 2005 04:35:18 +0000

A UNESCO Chair of Media and Gender Studies, recently created at the Communications University of China, is the 18th Chair sponsored by UNESCO in China but the first one in this field.

Donor profile - DFID: Shifting roles in quest of impact

Sun, 29 Jan 2006 04:17:58 +0000

British development cooperation with China has moved from tied aid to direct, 'poverty focused' programming around Millenium Development Goals, and is now thinking about how to engage with a China whose role on the global stage has changed profoundly.

Inequalities flagged as China climbs ‘Human Development’ charts

Fri, 02 Dec 2005 06:40:55 +0000

Although China is rising in the UN’s human development league tables, growing inequalities have left Guizhou ranking alongside Namibia whereas Shanghai is more comparable to Portugal, according to the UNDP 2005 Human Development Report, International Cooperation at a Crossroads: Aid, Trade and Security in an Unequal World, published in early September.

DfID consults on new strategy

Wed, 12 Oct 2005 04:02:18 +0100

The UK Department for International Development is inviting comment on a draft, five-year assistance plan for China, which will be put into operation from next year.

Rule on names starts to close door to NGO ‘businesses’

Thu, 15 Sep 2005 03:17:09 +0100

A command-economy style ruling on what certain NGOs can call themselves reveals the daunting complexity of developing a regulatory framework for China’s non-profit sector, report Tina Qian and Nick Young.

EU Human Rights Fund calls for proposals

Wed, 12 Oct 2005 04:35:07 +0100

The Human Rights Micro-Projects Programme of the European Commission Delegation to China and Mongolia is poised to launch its 2005 call for proposals.

Interview: 'Balanced development is essential for the future security of China'

Wed, 02 Nov 2005 10:13:34 +0000

Despite recently describing China as 'the most unequal society in Asia' the UN is bullish about its prospects for working with the government to make 'xiaokang' a reality. UN China Representative, Khalid Malik, talking here to Nick Young, points to the top leadership's willingness to learn, a strong relationship with the National Development Reform Commission, and signs of progress on the environment and civil society. All this, Mr. Malik believes, will help to make China's development more balanced.

Media Watch: Rule of Law (via CEEC)

Wed, 12 Oct 2005 05:05:34 +0100

The Congressional Executive Commission on China, established by the United States Congress in 2000, maintains an online 'Virtual Academy' where professional staff post articles and analysis on human rights and the rule of law in China. This information-rich and regularly updated resource includes summaries of Chinese and international press stories. The news clips below show (with CEEC permission) a small fraction of the recent coverage.