Introduction: South-south cooperation and Chinese foreign aid

Abstract

Since the start of the twenty-first century, a group of emerging economies has become the backbone of South-South development assistance. The development assistance provided by these countries, which falls under the framework of South-South cooperation (SSC), has its own unique features. In order to enhance the effectiveness of South-South development assistance and to expand its impact on the international development assistance system, it is urgent and necessary for the providers of South-South development assistance to thoroughly study the concept, principles, methods, and effects, to sum up the experience and establish a system for SSC. However, most South-South donors have problems with unsatisfactory data systems and incomplete statistics, thus it is difficult for researchers to conduct empirical analyses on the scale, sector distribution, regional distribution, and effects of aid. The more appropriate and constructive research method at this stage is therefore case study. This book presents 15 cases of China’s foreign aid. Each of the 15 cases provides a concise introduction to the project and focuses on its characteristics and effects analysis, which reflects SSC principles, experience, and practice, as well as current problems and challenges faced by Chinese foreign aid. Through all these 15 cases, we can thoroughly discuss the concepts, principles, methods, and effects of South-South development assistance, thus providing evidence for the establishment of a South-South development assistance framework.