China Research by AidData

Featured Publications

Silk Road Diplomacy: Deconstructing Beijing's toolkit to influence South and Central Asia

Samantha Custer, Tanya Sethi, Jonathan A. Solis, Joyce Jiahui Lin, Siddhartha Ghose, Anubhav Gupta, Rodney Knight, Austin Baehr

2019-12-10

Policy Report

Influencing the Narrative: How the Chinese government mobilizes students and media to burnish its image

Samantha Custer, Mihir Prakash, Jonathan A. Solis, Rodney Knight, Joyce Jiahui Lin

2019-12-09

Working Paper

Connective Financing: Chinese Infrastructure Projects and the Diffusion of Economic Activity in Developing Countries

Richard Bluhm, Axel Dreher, Andreas Fuchs, Bradley Parks, Austin Strange, Michael Tierney

2018-09-11

Policy Report

Ties That Bind: Quantifying China's public diplomacy and its "good neighbor" effect

Samantha Custer, Brooke Russell, Matthew DiLorenzo, Mengfan Cheng, Siddhartha Ghose, Jacob Sims, Jennifer Turner, Harsh Desai

2018-06-27

Journal Article

Apples and Dragon Fruits: The Determinants of Aid and Other Forms of State Financing from China to Africa

International Studies Quarterly

Axel Dreher, Andreas Fuchs, Bradley C Parks, Austin M Strange, Michael J Tierney

2018-02-01

Note: A version of this article was previously published as an AidData Working Paper.

Working Paper

Aid, China, and Growth: Evidence from a New Global Development Finance Dataset

Axel Dreher, Andreas Fuchs, Bradley Parks, Austin M. Strange, Michael J. Tierney

2017-10-10

In the News

Associated Press

As China builds up Africa, some in Uganda warn of trouble

October 24, 2019

The Atlantic

China’s Investments in Rwanda Raise Familiar Questions About Debt

August 3, 2019

Council on Foreign Relations

Belt and Road Tracker

May 8, 2019

The Wall Street Journal

China’s Xi Vows New Direction for ‘Belt and Road’ After Criticism

April 26, 2019

The Financial Times

Emerging markets face a new debt crisis; Chinese lending is not the only cause

March 12, 2019

Les Echos

Comment les Chinois mènent la conquête de l'Afrique | How the Chinese lead the conquest of Africa

February 19, 2019

The First Tranche

December 2019

Beijing's public diplomacy spending in South and Central Asia quantified and evaluated

AidData, a research lab at William & Mary, today released new data and analysis capturing the results of the Chinese government's strategic public diplomacy efforts in 13 countries.

The leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states (China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan) take part in a photo session before the 2019 SCO summit. Photo from the Office of the President of Russia, in the public domain.

December 2019

New report, dashboard captures Beijing’s influence in East Asia & the Pacific

New AidData report details how Beijing mobilizes media and students to bolster China’s image abroad.

The news center of the 2018 Shanghai International Import Expo buzzes with Chinese and foreign media workers. Photo courtesy Xinhua News via Presidencia El Salvador, in the public domain.

February 2019

Financier of first resort: China’s bid to be lender of choice for the developing world

In a new book published today, we examine how Beijing proactively seeks investment opportunities for its excess capital overseas to advance its national interests.

September 2018

Chinese infrastructure investments reduce inequalities in developing countries

A new AidData working paper analyzes Chinese infrastructure's impacts using the most comprehensive dataset of Chinese development project locations ever assembled.

The India-Pakistan border in 2015, as viewed from the International Space Station. Photo by the ISS Crew Earth Observations Facility and the Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, Johnson Space Center, in the public domain.

August 2018

A volley of words—and new data—on China’s diplomatic reach

A recent report by AidData informed and incited discussion of China’s growing public diplomacy activities in East Asia and Pacific.

Sports Ministers from South Korea, China and Japan meet in 2016 in Pyeongchang.

May 2018

Report: China, India winning friends in the developing world, but lag far behind U.S.

The leaders (l-r) of South Africa, China, India, Russia and Brazil meet in Goa, India for the 2016 Annual BRICS Meeting. Photo by Beto Parata/PR via Flickr, licensed under (CC BY 2.0).

Recent Datasets

Chinese Public Diplomacy Activities

China’s Public Diplomacy Dashboard Dataset, Version 1.0

Published

2019-12-09

This dataset is composed of first-of-its-kind quantitative data—on China’s public diplomacy efforts from two of AidData’s reports, Ties That Bind and Influencing the Narrative—that is available through AidData’s China’s Public Diplomacy Dashboard.

Geocoded China Data

AidData's Geocoded Global Chinese Official Finance, Version 1.1.1

Published

2018-09-11

This dataset geolocates Chinese Government-financed projects that were implemented between 2000-2014. It captures 3,485 projects worth $273.6 billion in total official financing. The dataset includes both Chinese aid and non-concessional official financing.

Chinese Public Diplomacy Activities

China’s Public Diplomacy in East Asia and Pacific, Version 1.0

Published

2018-06-27

This dataset provides an initial quantitative look into China’s public diplomacy activities in the East Asia and Pacific region between 2000-2016, as featured in the Ties That Bind report.

Global China Data

AidData's Global Chinese Official Finance Dataset, 2000-2014, Version 1.0

Published

2017-10-11

This dataset tracks the known universe of overseas Chinese official finance between 2000-2014, capturing 4,373 records totaling $354.4 billion. The data includes both Chinese aid and non-concessional official financing. For geolocated data on Chinese project locations, see AidData's Geocoded Global Chinese Official Finance Dataset, Version 1.1.1.

Chinese Development in Ecological Hotspots

Chinese Official Finance in Ecologically Sensitive Areas Geocoded Research Release, Version 1.0.1

Published

2017-01-12

This sub-nationally georeferenced dataset of Chinese official finance activities between 2000 and 2014 tracks $149,159,306,133.72 of commitments in three ecologically sensitive regions -- the Tropical Andes in South America, the Great Lakes of Africa, and the Mekong Delta in Southeast Asia.

Geocoded China Data

AidData's Chinese Official Finance to Africa Dataset, 2000-2012, Version 1.1.1

Published

2017-01-12

This is a sub-nationally georeferenced dataset of Chinese official finance activities that spans 50 African countries over the 2000-2012 period. It includes 1,952 Chinese development finance projects across 3,545 physical locations.