Transparency of Chinese aid: an analysis of the published information on Chinese external financial flows

There are many myths and misconceptions about the level of information publically available on Chinese efforts and activities in the developing world. With the growing momentum around ‘aid transparency’ since the Third High Level Forum on aid effectiveness (HLF-3) in Accra in 2008, this paper on China’s aid information was prepared to provide a firmer footing for the discussions going forward. The paper explores opportunities to improve publicly available information on Chinese foreign assistance and how to ensure comparability with other donors. It maps and assesses the levels of aid information made available across Chinese agencies that engage in various forms of international cooperation.