FAIR
China is, by far, the world’s largest source of bilateral official finance. China’s two main policy banks that lend to governments overseas – the China Development Bank and the Export-Import Bank of China – together issued about as much in sovereign finance commitments as the World Bank in the last global business cycle (2008-2019). At that scale, it is crucial for policymakers and stakeholders at all levels to understand the environmental and social implications of this finance.
The Global China Initiative’s FAIR (Forestry, Agriculture and Indigenous Rights) program examines these aspects, with a special focus on land use, biodiversity and natural resources critical for Indigenous communities worldwide.
Research Highlights
FAIR – Latest News and Publications
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Development Finance and Critical Minerals: Opportunities for Supporting Sustainability and Inclusion through Patient Capital
June 09, 2025Robust environmental and social risk management (ESRM) frameworks are posited as tools that can, if effectively implemented, contribute to more sustainable and inclusive development. Yet beyond the ESRM challenges that have emerged from previous booms, the ongoing critical mineral boom... [ More ]
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Unmined Potential? Opportunities for Development Finance to Support Sustainability and Inclusion in Transition Mineral Supply Chains
March 04, 2025Demand for energy transition minerals (TMs) is set to expand many-fold as global investors and nations embrace the ongoing global energy transition. The task of establishing sustainable and inclusive production methods for these supply chains is an urgent one for... [ More ]
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Digging Deeper: How Development Finance Can Unearth Sustainability in Transition Mineral Supply Chains
March 04, 2025By Julia Radomski and Rebecca Ray As the global economy shifts toward a greener future, the role of public development finance institutions (PDFIs) and export credit agencies (ECAs) in financing transition minerals (TMs) — which are vital for the green energy... [ More ]
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Around the Halls: A Year in Review and Look Ahead to 2025
December 18, 2024The most notable milestone of 2024 was the 80th anniversary of the Bretton Woods institutions of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank and World Trade Organization. This anniversary came as calls for ambitious global economic governance reforms gain momentum... [ More ]
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From Vicious to Virtuous: Understanding and Re-imagining the Relationships between Debt, Climate and Nature at COP16
October 29, 2024By Rebecca Ray Representatives from governments and civil society from around the world are gathering in Cali, Colombia this month for the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP16). They will take stock... [ More ]
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Sustainable Trade and Sustainable Supply Chains
October 18, 2024A global transition toward sustainable trade and supply chains is essential in the age of climate change and energy decarbonization. Low-carbon technologies (LCTs) and the related minerals are at the forefront of this transition, playing a critical role in reducing... [ More ]
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Trading Partners and Market Shapers: The Role of China in the Global Trade of Low-carbon Technologies
October 18, 2024By Jiaqi Lu As the world faces the urgent challenges of climate change, global trade for low-carbon technologies (LCTs) is becoming increasingly critical to meeting the surging demand for clean energy. Low-carbon technologies, ranging from renewable energy to electric vehicles and energy... [ More ]
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Back in Action: The Ninth Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Sees Renewed Relations and Development Prospects
October 15, 2024By Tianyi Wu For those suggesting China has disengaged from its cooperation with Africa, Chinese leader Xi Jinping sent a clear message at the recent ninth Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC): China is back and reaffirming its commitment to support “modernization”... [ More ]
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GDP Center Round-up: The 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation
August 27, 2024By Akanksha Goyal and Angie Ye The 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) will be held in Beijing from September 4-6, 2024, with African leaders and members of FOCAC scheduled to attend. Since the inception of the FOCAC in... [ More ]
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Chinese Investment in Africa: A Double-Edged Sword for Low-carbon Industrialization
July 28, 2024By Keyi Tang, Solomon Owusu and Gideon Ndubuisi China's economic ties with Africa have grown significantly since the early 2000s. China is currently the largest bilateral trading partner and top export destination for most countries in Africa, and since 2013, China... [ More ]