Why African leaders like Chinese aid

China provides a substantial amount of aid to African nations, but its motives are often questioned. Roland Hodler, Professor of Economics at the University of St Gallen, Switzerland, has tested these claims. Western media and Western donors are often critical to the role that China plays in Africa. China is said to use its foreign aid to curry favor with political leaders in order to get access to natural resources, and to undercut political, social and environmental conditions of Western donors.