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 […]
The China Development Bank (CDB) and the Export-Import Bank of China (CHEXIM), China’s two most active development finance institutions (DFIs), have historically accounted for the bulk of China’s overall lending to the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region, though lending has declined significantly in recent years. Between 2015-2020, the LAC region saw a precipitous […]
Estimates vary of the number of unintended pregnancies that occur worldwide each year, but recent data puts the number over 100 million, or nearly half of all annual pregnancies. The World Health Organization also notes unintended pregnancies can present numerous risks for both mother and child, from unsafe abortions, to higher vulnerability and risk of […]
China’s flagship infrastructure project, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), is known for being greenhouse gas intensive due to its historically large investments in fossil fuels. Chinese leader Xi Jinping announced in September 2021 that China would stop supporting the buildout of coal-fired power plants overseas, while likewise promising to scale up support for clean […]
By Yuheng Zhao State capacity is the ability of state to collect taxes, enforce law and order and provide public goods. It is well acknowledged that rich countries are featured with capable states, while “failed” nations in general are characterized by incompetent states. Important as an effective state is, little is known about the building […]
By Samantha Igo On September 4-6, 2022, leading experts and policymakers will gather in Bali, Indonesia for the Think20 (T20) 2022 Summit to discuss the latest research-based policy recommendations and matters of global importance. More than 600 authors have worked on policy briefs to deliver policy options to Group of 20 (G20) leaders on three […]
By Bridgette Lang The Spring 2022 Global China Research Colloquium invited leading scholars to virtually present their latest research on topics spanning China’s application of industrial policy, debt-for-nature swaps with Ecuador, simulating the impacts of China’s clean energy transition abroad and mapping the marine risks of Chinese overseas development finance. Zhu Xian started the year […]
The economic shock from the COVID-19 pandemic has set back the development agendas for emerging markets and developing countries. Many developing countries have suffered from severe economic contractions that derailed revenue generation and budget execution and created urgent financing needs. Servicing public debt crowds out fiscal space for investing in a green and equitable recovery […]
If global warming is to be kept below 1.5C, states need to rapidly phase out fossil fuels. But government efforts to limit fossil fuels, such as cancelling pipelines and denying drilling permits, will impact asset holders and demands for compensation will ensue. When assets are protected by international investment treaties, legal claims can be brought […]
In 2020, the Chinese Loans to Africa (CLA) Database, managed by the Boston University Global Development Policy Center, recorded 11 new loan commitments worth $1.9 billion from Chinese lenders to African government borrowers. This low amount, not seen since the mid-2000s, is down 77 percent from 2019 volumes, when Chinese lenders signed 32 loan agreements […]