GDP Center Releases 2019 China’s Global Energy Finance (CGEF) Database & Policy Brief

In 2018, overseas energy financing by China’s two global policy banks—the China Development Bank (CDB) and the Export-Import Bank of China (CHEXIM) —was at its lowest level since 2013. The two global policy banks provided approximately $8.62 billion to foreign countries in financing for energy sector activity overseas in 2018, bringing the total since 2000 to 244.2 billion. The 2018 figure is down by 69 percent from the $28.04 billion in lending to foreign governments in 2017. Furthermore, 93 percent of China’s energy loans went to BRI countries in 2018.

These estimates come from the recently released China’s Global Energy Finance Database, published annually by the Global Development Policy Center (GDP Center)’s Global China Initiative at Boston University. This year’s rendition of the online, interactive database features web-based versions in both English and Chinese and a ‘Belt and Road Initiative’ feature.

This year’s data indicates a clear downward trend in CDB and CHEXIM’s overseas energy finance since the BRI momentum peaked in 2016. The majority of overseas energy financing of these two banks was in power generation. Africa received the largest of amount of energy finance from China at 55% of the total.