From Chengdu to Kampala: The Role of Subnational Actors in China’s Foreign Aid

Abstract

This article examines the role of subnational actors in China’s foreign aid. It applies the terms of ‘decentralized cooperation’ and ‘twinning’ into the analysis of China’s aid architecture, drawing a connection between aid and domestic politics. With evidence from East Africa, it argues that it is the endogenous twinning mechanism and the deep involvement of subnational actors that make Chinese aid structurally distinct from those of other donors, particularly in the area of health, agriculture and education. It finds that the involvement of subnational actors brings in more resources for the sustainability of China’s aid programs, while the multiple faces and institutional capacity of subnational Chinese actors giving aid may require further examination.