The understanding and practice of development in China and the European Union

China’s role in international development rose to prominence in the mid-2000s, when new Chinese actors began engaging in public and private activities in the global South. This has implications for low income countries for which China offers an alternative model of partnership and development, for the policies and practices of international aid, and the relationships between China and established donors. Failure to understand and engage with these implications could result in missing an opportunity to reverse the fortunes of countries in the global South. This paper is the first of a two-part series on China as a rising power and what this means for low income countries and the international development community. It explores the different understandings and practices of development in China and the European Union, reflecting on differences and similarities between the old and new powers in relation to development, aid and the interests, actors, policies and practices involved.