Feb 5, 2021

Issue Brief - Brief on White Paper on China's International Development Cooperation in the New Era

On 10 January 2021, the State Council Information Office of China issued its much-awaited third White Paper (WP) on China’s foreign aid, six and a half years after the release of the second WP was published in July 2014. Its release has been timed to coincide with China celebrating seven decades of foreign aid that began in the 1950s and embarking on a new stage in its journey as a provider of development cooperation. The first WP was released in April 2011 in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of foreign aid, covering data and events up to 2009. As the Government’s first-ever attempt, it provided a high-level summary of its aid policy (including different historical contexts, rationale and principles), financing (including three financial arrangements and eight patterns), distribution (geographically and sector-wise), management and international cooperation. Building on that and using a similar structure, the second WP provided updates on the progress that had been made between 2010 and 2012. The newly issued third WP provides a comprehensive overview of China’s foreign aid experience and guiding principles combined with a forward-looking perspective. It is an exhaustive document exceeding the total length of the previous two papers combined. Below, we summarise key developments and new concepts described in the 2021 update and provide some suggestions and reflections on how to move these concepts forward.

Feb 1, 2021

SDG Investor Map in China Summary Report

An SDG Investor Map is a piece of market intelligence produced by UNDP to help private investors (funds, financiers, corporations) identify investment opportunities and business models that align with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDG Investor Maps are practical tools that provide new data and evidence on investment opportunities as a public good to the private sector to increase their investments towards the SDGs. Specifically, SDG Investor Maps translate country specific SDG-needs and policy priorities into concrete investment opportunity areas (IOAs). They shed light on actionable, profitable business models and areas where the private sector can work with governments to make a real difference in people’s lives. Through a thorough analysis of policy documents and data, as well as extensive interviews with experts, at this stage, the China SDG Investor Map has listed several investment opportunity areas in agriculture products and healthcare delivery. The Map highlights investment opportunity areas in these two subsectors that display the most potential for investments and in which Chinese province.

Jan 6, 2021

Socioeconomic Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Five Poverty Counties in China

The Socioeconomic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Five Poverty Counties in China examines how the pandemic has affected impoverished regions and, in particular, vulnerable groups in those areas. The first-hand data and information collected through this assessment are being used to inform the design of UN programmes in the immediate future and provide evidence for local governments in how best to address the socioeconomic effects of the pandemic on their populations.