China’s overseas humanitarian action to assist refugees

20.500.12592/d054mk

China’s overseas humanitarian action to assist refugees

6 Jun 2022

In recent years, China has expanded its overseas humanitarian action to assist refugees, including through increased funding to UN agencies, bilateral and multilateral diplomatic engagement, and growth in the overseas activities of Chinese civil society. This trend is consistent with the overall rise in Chinese involvement across UN issue areas in the last decade. Chinese government agencies, civil society and private companies have significant domestic experience and technical expertise in natural disaster response, emergency preparedness, public health, rural development, renewable energy and digital technology. This technical expertise can support humanitarian responses, particularly as displacement crises become increasingly linked to climate change. A challenge for Chinese actors is how to translate high-level commitments into tangible outcomes and partnerships, within a transparent and robust framework for overseas humanitarian action. Despite some upward trends, Chinese humanitarian action in aid of refugees should not be overestimated. China’s financial contributions in this area remain sporadic, refugee assistance is not a foreign policy priority, the topic remains sensitive domestically and geopolitical tensions risk stifling global cooperation. The rise in China’s overseas humanitarian activities should be considered in the broader context of the Asia-Pacific, where national governments often play a central role in humanitarianism and disaster relief. Japan’s status as a leading humanitarian donor and India’s mixed history of hosting displaced populations provide contrasting examples of the roles of donor countries and soft power in the region, and demonstrate the different degrees of integration within conventional humanitarian institutions and norms. In parallel with China’s growing global influence, the humanitarian sector itself is changing due to the shifting donor landscape and compounding humanitarian pressures, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and climate crisis. The extent to which international and Chinese actors are able and willing to navigate the differences in each other’s approach is key in determining whether international organizations and local communities will collaborate with Chinese partners on refugee relief.
china civil society asia-pacific programme refugees and migration united nations (un) china's foreign relations

Authors

Emily Venturi

ISBN
9781784135270
Published in
United Kingdom

Related Topics

All