A New Era? China’s Overseas Development Finance (CODF) Database, 2023 Update

In the January 2023 update, the China’s Overseas Development Finance (CODF) Database, managed by the Boston University Global Development Policy Center, recorded $10.5 billion in new loan commitments from China’s two main development finance institutions (DFIs), the China Development Bank (CDB) and the Export-Import Bank of China (CHEXIM) from 2020-2021.

Since peaking at $87 billion in 2016, Chinese overseas development finance has continually declined. Indeed, as Chinese overseas development finance has fallen in total value, so too has the average loan commitment size, both in monetary value and in the geographic footprint of financed projects. This trend is emblematic of the nascent “small is beautiful” approach of Chinese economic engagement in recent years, which prioritizes smaller and more targeted projects.

What is the status of China’s overseas development finance? Looking forward, how likely is China to return to large scale lending levels? And how has this pivot toward smaller projects affected the environmental and social risks of China’s overseas development finance?

The CODF Database is the first global, harmonized, validated and geolocated record of Chinese overseas development finance. As of January 2023, the CODF Database has tracked 1,099 loan commitments to 100 countries, totaling nearly half a trillion dollars, at $498 billion, from 2008-2021.

Covering the years 2008-2021, the database includes loan commitments from CDB and CHEXIM to governments, inter-governmental bodies, majority state-owned entities and minority state-owned entities with sovereign guarantees. The proximity of projects to three types of ecologically sensitive territories, Indigenous peoples’ lands, national protected areas and critical habitats, is also mapped.

Join us on Thursday, January 26 from 10:00-11:00 AM EST for a webinar discussion and demonstration of the China’s Overseas Development Finance Database, 2023 update.

Speakers:

Kevin P. Gallagher: Director, Boston University Global Development Policy Center

Rebecca Ray: Senior Academic Researcher, Boston University Global Development Policy Center

Oyintarelado (Tarela) Moses, Data Analyst and Database Manager, Global China Initiative, Boston University Global Development Policy Center

Cecilia Springer (Moderator), Assistant Director, Global China Initiative, Boston University Global Development Policy Center