Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in the light of the report by the Independent Commission for Aid Impact <i>When aid relationships change: DfID's approach to managing exit and transition in its development partnerships</i>, how much UK development assistance was spent in China in each year since 2011; and what is the explanation for the funding in each area of activity.

The UK closed its China bilateral country aid programme in March 2011. Since 2011 DFID has retained a team in Beijing to work with China on a global development partnership. The partnership focuses on China’s development impact in developing countries in Asia and Africa, and global issues, such as international public health. As China is not the primary beneficiary of this assistance the China Global Partnership Programme is not classified as aid to China.

UK bilateral aid spending benefitting China is set out in the National Statistics publication Statistics on International Development (SIDS). The table below shows the latest published data. The UK Government spends Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) in China to maximise UK-China trade and promote shared prosperity. This includes the cross-Whitehall Prosperity Fund which provided UK expertise and financing to 400 projects from 2011 to 2016 and the Newton Fund which funds UK-China research and innovation on global issues.

UK Bilateral and Imputed Multilateral ODA to China £,000 (SIDS 2016)

* repayments on loans made by the Commonwealth Development Corporation count as negatives for net ODA.