Banking on Beijing: The Aims and Impacts of China's Overseas Development Program

China’s overseas development program has fueled speculation among policymakers, scholars and journalists due to its growing scale but lack of transparency. Banking on Beijing, Austin Strange's newest book, unpacks the evolving aims and impacts of China's global development finance. It demonstrates that China almost exclusively provided aid during the 20th century, but over the last two decades, has established itself as the global lender of first resort. China’s transition from “benefactor” to a “banker” has created profound impacts for developing countries. Chinese-financed infrastructure projects have provided new growth opportunities, but have also introduced major risks such as corruption, political capture and conflict.



On Wednesday, December 15, join Austin Strange, an Assistant Professor at The University of Hong Kong, for a discussion on his book and how China has pushed itself to become a major global financier. This webinar is part of the Fall 2021 Global China Research Colloquium.