Why China - with its massive economy - receives £71m a year in UK foreign aid
MPs request review into why a country with its own space programme is being sent British aid

A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
MPs have requested a review into why the UK sent £71m in aid to China in a single year, despite the country having an economy five times the size of the UK’s.
Figures on British aid to China were “buried” in the Department for International Development’s (DfID) annual report, which was “quietly put out this week as MPs go on their summer holiday”, the Daily Mail says.
Why does Britain send aid money to China?
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
China became the world’s second largest economy in 2010, making the idea that Britain - with the world’s fifth largest economy - should send it aid money seem counterintuitive.
However, DfID formally closed its old Chinese aid programme in March 2011, replacing it with a development policy based on “shared global development objectives, global public goods and poverty reduction,” the department says on its website.
In practice, this means that the UK now spends money in China to help develop education, support human rights, combat illegal wildlife trade and promote green energy projects.
DfID says that it has made forging alliances with the “emerging powers” a “foreign and international development policy priority”, and that China, “by far the largest and fastest-growing emerging economy, is at the forefront of this effort”.
Many of the programmes DfID supports in China are also intended to be two-way exchanges, including projects to improve food security in low-income countries, help increase resilience to disasters in Asia and build trade relationships with countries across Africa.
Why do MPs want a review?
Former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith yesterday questioned why the UK was sending money to a country which was “breaking every rule in the book”. He described the aid spending as “utter madness” and demanded an urgent review into London’s relationship with Beijing.
“China is the second-largest economy in the world, and it is winning business all over the world by undercutting firms in the West,” he added.
“This makes it all the more urgent that we have a strategic review of the entirety of our relationship with and our dependency on China, including this sort of nonsense spending on aid.”
Responding to the criticism, the government defended its aid programme by saying that the UK offers “expertise and skills on shared challenges like climate change and health security”.
“Where there is mutual benefit, we invest money which supports UK interests and creates opportunities for UK business,” a spokesperson added.
Will the UK’s aid spend be decreased?
Britain is planning to cut its global aid budget by £2.9bn this year due to the economic damage of the coronavirus crisis, the government announced yesterday.
However, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab insists the UK still intends to honour its commitment to spend 0.7% of gross national income on international development.
Still, government sources told the Daily Mirror that a “line by line” review of aid projects has been carried out with the “40 most vulnerable countries” prioritised for assistance. Consequently, the “axe would fall” on China, the Daily Mail reports.
Labour MP Sarah Champion, chair of the Commons International Development Committee, criticised the decision to announce cuts just before the summer break.
“If it is with immediate effect, do the projects know or will they find out via the media?” she wrote. “Is there an overarching strategy in place? Clearly there has been no consultation, but to release this news literally as parliament rises so there can be no scrutiny by MPs is poor practice.”
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Arion McNicoll is a freelance writer at The Week Digital and was previously the UK website’s editor. He has also held senior editorial roles at CNN, The Times and The Sunday Times. Along with his writing work, he co-hosts “Today in History with The Retrospectors”, Rethink Audio’s flagship daily podcast, and is a regular panellist (and occasional stand-in host) on “The Week Unwrapped”. He is also a judge for The Publisher Podcast Awards.
-
What to know when filing a hurricane insurance claim
The Explainer A step-by-step to figure out what insurance will cover and what else you can do beyond filing a claim
By Becca Stanek Published
-
How fees impact your investment portfolio — and how to save on them
The Explainer Even seemingly small fees can take a big bite out of returns
By Becca Stanek Published
-
Enemy without
Cartoons
By The Week Staff Published
-
Will Rishi Sunak's green wedge issue win over the public?
Today's Big Question The PM draws dividing line with Labour on net zero ahead of the next general election
By Sorcha Bradley Published
-
Industry backlash as Sunak set to water down green pledges
Speed Read Automotive and energy bosses look for clarity after PM backs away from UK net zero goal
By Arion McNicoll Published
-
October by-elections: what's at stake for Labour, Lib Dems and Tories
Parties will contest two former safe Tory seats on 19 October, putting pressure on Rishi Sunak
By Harriet Marsden Published
-
Jobs for the boys: does the UK need a minister for men?
Conservative MP calls for dedicated cabinet role to combat 'crisis' in men's mental health and education
By Harriet Marsden Published
-
Was Dominic Raab really stitched up?
Under the Radar Exit of deputy prime minister triggers a wider debate about how the civil service is run
By The Week Staff Published
-
Civil service neutrality: is it time for a more politicised Whitehall?
Talking Point Radical plans to allow political appointees could be the direct result of Dominic Raab’s resignation
By The Week Staff Published
-
The new Windsor framework: Rishi Sunak’s Brexit deal explained in five points
feature PM reaches agreement with EU over new Northern Ireland trading arrangements
By Sorcha Bradley Last updated
-
The crackdown on golden visa schemes
feature Government aims to close ‘backdoor route’ into Britain for criminals who exploit visa-waiver agreements with other countries
By Richard Windsor Published