The latest research on the Lowy Institute in the Australian Think Titan shows that the Chinese government's assistance to the Pacific island nation has declined significantly in recent years, and it has formed a control with China's efforts to increase its influence in the region.
According to the statistics of the Roy Research Institute, donation agencies such as Asian Development Bank tried to help the Pacific countries respond to the impact of the economy.The total aid obtained increased from US $ 3.1 billion a year ago (S $ 4.265 billion) to $ 4.2 billion.However, China ’s assistance to the Pacific region fell from the peak of US $ 334 million in 2016 to US $ 188 million in 2020.
This is the lowest annual number of China since the Roy Research Institute has tracked the assistance in the region since 2008.These aids are composed of gift funds and preferential loans to fund construction, infrastructure and other projects.
The data from the Roy Research Institute showed that China ’s assistance to the region continued to decline in 2021.As of 2020, China is the third largest donor country in the Pacific, accounting for 8.1%of all donations.Papua New Guinea is the country with the most aid in the region, but the per capita aid funds are the least.
Alexandre Dayant, director of the Pacific aid project of the Institute, said in an interview: "China promises to build a large -scale infrastructure project worth hundreds of millions of dollars.There is a big difference in funds. "
China does not announce the specific data of its foreign aid to a country.The white paper of China International Development Cooperation, which was released on January 10, 2021, said that China has steadily increased the scale of foreign aid funds and further expanding the scope of assistance.
From 2013 to 2018, China's foreign aid amount was 270.2 billion yuan (RMB, the same below, the same, S $ 51.8 billion), including unpaid assistance, interest -free loans and preferential loans.Among them, 127.8 billion yuan of free assistance provided for free, accounting for 47.3%of the total foreign aid, 48.5%of the total foreign aid loans of foreign aid, and about 4.2%of interest -free loans.
In the past 20 years, Australia has been the largest source of development assistance in the Pacific region. In 2020, it provided more than $ 1.4 billion (S $ 1.302 billion) for development assistance.
After China ’s influence in the region, the Australian Labor government, which came to power in May this year, has taken the relationship with other Pacific countries as the primary task.In order to compete China ’s increasing influence in the region, the United States has also increased its investment in the region in recent years.
The Roy Research Institute data shows that from 2016 to 2020, the aid expenditure in the United States in the Pacific region almost doubled, reaching $ 258 million.The United States has made a series of new commitments this year, including promised to provide $ 210 million for climate change and maritime security in the next 10 years.
