Changes in China 60 years history of foreign aid

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6 April, the Commerce Department released its 2010 annual budget of the department of revenue and expenditure information, the total expenditure of 15.157 billion yuan. Among them, the largest proportion of foreign expenditure items of expenditure, totaling 14.06 billion yuan, while foreign aid amounted to 13.085 billion yuan, accounting for 89.8% of total expenditure of financial allocations.

Almost at the same time, the United Nations in New York and the U.S. government held a fund-raising Haiti's reconstruction conference. A total of more than 50 countries contributed $ 5.3 billion. But China has contributed only $ 1.5 million, with about the Gambia and Monaco. May / June issue of the American "Foreign Policy" magazine ridicule that is not enough money even to buy a villa in the suburbs of Shanghai, the Chinese way of spending money and as a responsible global power becoming more and more disproportionate.

China a huge amount of foreign aid, what gone? What played a role? Is worthy of further thought. China in the world political and economic status is changing, the ideas and concepts of foreign aid should also be times of.

Foreign aid was a "serious political activity."

China's foreign aid, the new China was founded, the moment had already started.

According to secret diplomacy shows that a certain country "asked China to provide", "China's assistance request", "asked me to give," "asked me to reconstruction," "asked me to send" is the 1950s some of our ambassadors House calls and send the report on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of common words.

July 1950, China's first arrival in the Mongolian Ambassador Jiya Tai Soon, Prime Minister of Mongolia Choibalsan on to him, "asked to help solve the labor problem." This is probably the first to propose to our foreign aid request. At that time, China's answer is: "Because domestic liberation war is not over yet, it is difficult to mobilize the workers to go abroad, to consider this issue later."

April 1955, under the care of Premier Zhou Enlai, the first 8,200 workers to go to Mongolia.

In marked May 15, 1951 on a material, the more side's straight to the point: "We are in the lean period, the meter will report famished as helpless and therefore earnestly ask you again to help us 1500-2000 tons of rice, to ride out this storm. "

End of 1960, China also provided assistance to the countries: North Korea, Cambodia, Nepal, Myanmar, Mali, Uganda, Congo, Cameroon, Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Afghanistan, a total of 22 countries.

July 1, 1960, when he was Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade Li Qiang to the National Conference of Foreign Affairs reports that, from 1950 until the end of June 1960, China and some Asian and African nationalism fraternal countries and countries reached an agreement China to provide aid and loans amounted to 4.028 billion yuan, a figure close to 1953 to 1957, "Five-year Plan" period of national infrastructure investment plan 42.74 billion yuan 1 / 10.

January 1960, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Trade parallel to the establishment of China General Administration of Foreign Economic Relations, specializing in gifts to foreign cash, food and so on. In the worst famine years, foreign aid surge.

Cuba cut? Guevara's visit to China in November 1960, China gave $ 60 million "loan", Zhou Enlai told Guevara in particular, this money "can not have been negotiated."

January 1961, China and the Soviet Union split, China hopes to help Albania accused Khrushchev of the Soviet Union, to the five hundred million rubles, but also in foreign currency to buy wheat from Canada sent to Albania. Relying on Chinese food, Albanians do not know "quantitative" are. It all happened in the famine period. Albania, the main representative of the negotiations with Beijing hope to (PupoShyti) said: "In China, of course we see famine. But what we want to give China what, we just need to open the opening, I feel ashamed."

During this period, China's foreign aid amount is very large. China's foreign economic aid in 1967 accounted for 4.5% of national expenditure in 1972 reached 51 million yuan, accounting for 6.7% of expenditure in 1973 is increased to 7.2%, exceeding the world's most developed, richest countries of foreign economic aid ratio.

Such assistance, as a serious political activities are conducted, are called "internationalism."

"No strings attached," China's foreign aid Bible

After the reforms, China's foreign aid policy has been reformed and adjusted, highlighting the "equality, diversity, attention to practical results and common development," the content, the economic significance of foreign aid goes beyond the demands of political interests. Taking into account China's economic strength and the actual situation of domestic, foreign aid amounts and there is no corresponding increase substantially.

1995 is the framework for a comprehensive reform of China's foreign aid turning point, the goal is based on Foreign Trade Minister Wu Yi when he proposed "economic grand strategy" to foreign trade, capital flows and international economic cooperation, combine the use of domestic and foreign capital, resources and market to promote China's economic development.

To achieve this goal, China needs to pursue foreign aid in the form of diversification, taking into account the interests of both recipient countries and China. Since then, financial institutions lending to become a major form of China's foreign assistance, joint venture project began to receive greater attention and encouragement.

Today, China's foreign aid mainly from the aid, interest-free loans, concessional loans of three parts. Commerce Department data show that since 1995 of foreign preferential loans since the end of 2008, 74 countries, China has provided preferential loans to support various projects 252.

China's foreign aid at all stages showed different characteristics, but the overall sense, foreign aid to equality and mutual benefit, common development as the basic guiding principles, without attaching any political conditions.

Zhou Enlai laid the tone is. In 1964, Zhou Enlai visited 11 African countries on the way, China announced in Mali's eight foreign aid, the second of which has been regarded as China's foreign aid, "the Bible": the Chinese government's foreign aid, when strict respect for the recipient sovereignty, not subject to any condition, never asks for any privileges.

 

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Questioned the practice of non-interference in internal affairs

However, China respects the sovereignty of recipient countries, non-interference in internal affairs of the Western experience questioned.

U.S. think tank Council on Foreign Relations senior scholar Feienbomu (EvanA.Feigenbaum) in the "foreign policy" bimonthly issued a document that China's aid or loans with different countries. China never too concerned about reducing corruption, improving transparency, or improve conditions for private companies; the contrary, it usually requires recipient countries to buy Chinese products or hire Chinese workers. For example, China's recent $ 10 billion of loans to Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, 40 billion dollars in loans and $ 63 million to Tajikistan loans, promoting the reform of economic decision-making in these countries had little effect on the improvement of governance more no role.

According to the article, donations to other countries, China does not comply with developed countries and international agencies to develop rules. China's loans are usually secret negotiations, without conditions attached to the traditional, often providing funds to those in Western countries are afraid to go. Chinese investment in both the donor, such as last year's $ 75 million of its loans to Afghanistan later became aid.

The article also criticized the Chinese generally prefer to act alone, very few other countries or organizations with cooperation or coordination.

Provide assistance to China not to mention the practice of additional conditions, U.S. officials also oppose.

March 18, 2008, the U.S. Congress US-China Economic and Security Review Commission in Washington held a "China's growing global influence" as the theme of the hearing. Invited to attend the U.S. Department of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Thomas Christensen Deputy Assistant Secretary at the meeting of China, "without any conditions," the question of foreign aid policy, saying China's policy could hinder the U.S., EU and other donors, "developing countries long-term economic development, maintain political stability "efforts.

Christensen said that China recently passed a "no strings attached" assistance in the economic field, "to attack" the Third World, especially in Africa, Latin America and the Pacific, and the means through trade with these countries to deepen political relations. China's policy with the United States, Japan, Europe, the World Bank and International Monetary Fund and other donors "to foreign aid as a lever to promote human rights in recipient countries to improve, reform," the policy is entirely the opposite.

He said: "We are very worried about lack of coordination with the international community aid projects in China, will be offset by other donors to promote good governance, transparency efforts, we believe, provide the assistance projects with these conditions is to promote long-term economic growth in the Third World and the best way to stability. "