A new update to the Chinese Loans to Africa (CLA) Database, managed by the Boston University Global Development Policy Center, estimates that from 2000-2023, Chinese lenders provided 1,306 loans amounting to $182.28 billion to 49 African governments and seven regional borrowers. In 2023, Chinese lenders issued 13 new commitments with a value of $4.61 billion […]
Over the last two decades, Chinese banks and state-owned enterprises (SOEs) have provided loans and technology for a large number of coal-fired power plants abroad. With estimated emissions of 245 Mt carbon dioxide annually and a median age of seven years, this overseas coal fleet is increasingly incompatible with host countries’ and global climate goals. […]
To meet the 1.5C warming threshold of the Paris Agreement, total coal-fired power generation needs to be reduced by 70 percent by 2030 and by 96 percent by 2050. The 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) signaled the “beginning of the end” for the fossil fuel era, and prioritized a swift, fair transition with […]
A new update to the China’s Global Energy Finance (CGEF) Database, managed by the Boston University Global Development Policy Center, estimates that from 2000-2022, China’s two development finance institutions (DFIs)—the China Development Bank (CDB) and the Export-Import Bank of China (CHEXIM) — have provided 331 loans, totaling $225 billion for 65 foreign governments for energy […]
A new update to the Chinese Loans to Africa (CLA) Database, managed by the Boston University Global Development Policy Center, estimates that from 2000-2022, 39 Chinese lenders provided 1,243 loans amounting to $170.08 billion to 49 African governments and seven regional institutions. For the years 2021 and 2022 combined, the CLA Database recorded a total […]
The rise of China as the world’s largest official bilateral creditor has not come without debate. Within US policymaking circles in particular, concerns have been voiced of the impact of Chinese finance and whether China engages in ‘debt trap diplomacy,’ wherein finance is lent with the intent to seize a strategic public asset or gain […]
After providing a staggering amount of finance for overseas development projects in the wake of the global financial crisis, Chinese overseas development finance has been on a general downward trend for several years. What is the status of China’s overseas development finance in the COVID-19 era? And looking forward, how likely is China to return […]
China has financed electric power plants around the world for several decades through foreign direct investment (FDI) and loans from China’s two policy banks, the China Development Bank (CDB) and the Export-Import Bank of China (CHEXIM). What is the status of China’s global power plants? In how many countries are they operating, and what are […]
On August 19, 2022, China announced it would waive 23 interest-free loans (IFLs) with maturity by the end of 2021 for 17 unspecified African countries worth an unspecified total amount. While it is challenging to determine the exact amount of the cancelations due to lack of information, a new policy brief by the Boston University […]
To meet the Paris Agreement and avoid catastrophic climate change, all coal-fired power generation should be phased out by 2040. During this transition, discussions must incorporate the need for a just transition that meets the local energy and economic needs of rapidly industrializing countries, especially in South and Southeast Asia. In a new policy brief, […]