Gallagher and Springer Discuss Trends in Chinese Overseas Development Finance
Kevin Gallagher, Professor of Global Development Policy at BU’s Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies and Director of BU’s Global Development Policy Center (GDP Center), appeared on the China African Project’s podcast to discuss new trends in Chinese overseas development finance.
Gallagher and Cecilia Han Springer, Assistant Director of the GDP Center’s Global China Initiative, joined hosts Eric Olander and Cobus van Staden to talk about new findings from the Center’s “China’s Global Energy Finance Database,” and a new policy brief that details a decline in China’s energy sector loans. The findings of the policy brief state that there were no new energy finance commitments from China to foreign governments in 2021 through its two most active policy banks. This may be in part because of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s pledge to cut investments in new coal international projects, but Gallagher also says that China simply doesn’t have the capital to cut deals in this period and they are focusing on due diligence. The two go on to discuss the prospect of additional green financing from China, global development collaboration, debt relief for developing countries in debt distress, as well as China’s future development finance prospects.
The full podcast can be listened to below.
Kevin Gallagher is a professor of global development policy at Boston University’s Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies, where he directs the Global Development Policy Center. He is the author or co-author of numerous books, including most recently, The Case for a New Bretton Woods (Wiley, 2022). Read more about Professor Gallagher on his Pardee School faculty profile.