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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The Growth Connections Between China and the Global South: A Review and a Refocus
May 26, 2026As late as 1984, half of China’s exports consisted of raw materials, including oil, coal, food and livestock. After 47 years of reform and opening, China has transformed itself from an agrarian economy into a manufacturing powerhouse. With the country's expanding... [ More ]
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Why Competitive Politics Can Pull Development Finance Away from Need
May 04, 2026By Keyi Tang As development finance tightens, the most important question may not be who is lending, but how domestic politics shapes where the money goes. When a foreign-financed road is opened, the picture is clear that this project will connect farmers... [ More ]
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Productive Finance for the Belt and Road Initiative: Reexamining China’s Debt Sustainability Framework
April 13, 2026China has committed over US$1 trillion in overseas financing, much of it directed toward productive public assets that have helped close infrastructure gaps and stimulate economic growth. Nevertheless, a series of external shocks—largely unrelated to Chinese financing—have left many countries... [ More ]
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Zimbabwe’s Lithium Pivot: Promises and Pitfalls of Mining
March 23, 2026By Julie Radomski, Tsitsi Musasike, Tinotenda Chidhawu, Hudson Mtegha and Earnest Rungano Chinyanga Lithium has emerged as an indispensable resource powering the energy transition, given its central role in electric vehicle batteries and battery energy storage systems. For Zimbabwe, endowed with... [ More ]
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Leveraging Transition Mineral Extraction for Zimbabwe’s Socioeconomic Development: The Case of Lithium
March 23, 2026The mining sector contributed US$5.6 billion to Zimbabwe's GDP in 2022 and is expected to contribute $20 billion in 2030. Despite this significant contribution, Zimbabwe does not have a standalone national mining policy or a transition mineral-specific strategy to ensure... [ More ]
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How Has China Helped the Green Transformation Along the Belt and Road: Four Channels
November 24, 2025By Yan Wang As the deadline for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) draws near, the world economy faces headwinds from trade protections, supply-chain disruptions and shrinking development assistance. According to the OECD, official development assistance (ODA) from member countries... [ More ]
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Greening the Belt and Road with Four Underlying Mechanisms
November 24, 2025With five years to go before the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) deadline, official statements have stressed that only 18 percent of the targets are on track, and many are going in reverse. International development community and policymakers around the world... [ More ]
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Reviving the Past or Risking the Future? Chinese-Financed Hydropower and the Fate of “Dinosaur Dams”
August 27, 2025by Julie Radomski As countries around the world strive to meet their renewable energy targets, large hydroelectric dams are often framed as clean and reliable alternatives to fossil fuels. In the 21st century, Chinese development finance institutions (DFIs) have emerged as... [ More ]
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Dinosaur Dams: The Historical Origins of Chinese Hydroelectric Projects and Their Environmental Implications
August 27, 2025Hydroelectric megaprojects represent an important target for Chinese development finance in the 21st century and will likely remain so given their categorization as renewable energy contributing to a green energy transition. However, Chinese-financed megadams around the world have faced numerous social, [ More ]
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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 ]