5. China on the Move: The ‘New Silk Road’ to International Development Cooperation?

As China assumes an increasingly predominant position in the global economy, its role—as a developing country that has experienced high economic growth and poverty reduction and as a player in the global development sphere—has come under increasing scrutiny. This chapter gives an overview of China’s aid architecture, the historical context and ideological foundations underlying China’s overseas aid and development cooperation, and the current discourse surrounding China’s economic cooperation with developing countries. It situates China’s distinctive approach to development aid in the context of the BRICS countries and its own internal politics. Finally, it highlights the need for greater mutual understanding in engagement between ‘traditional’ and ‘rising’ powers such as China, towards common global development goals.