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Asia
Over the past few years, China's weight as a global player has increased enormously. Whatever issues of global significance there may be, whether environmental and climate protection, the stability of the international financial system, or the future of Africa, none of them can nowadays be resolved without China's involvement. And China's role in the sphere of development cooperation, too, has changed – from a recipient of Western aid to an increasingly self-assured donor in Asia and Latin America, but above all in Africa. Up to 2009, China had provided a total of about 40 billion US dollars worldwide in grants, interest-free and concessional loans, debt relief and humanitarian assistance.
The BMZ sees China's new role as a global development partner as both an opportunity and a challenge. China's development activities can help bring about progress on the achievement of global development goals and open up new opportunities in this regard. So it is crucial that, in future, there be more engagement with China so as to include it in efforts to address global development issues and in international responsibility systems. This especially applies to China's role as a new donor – in the interest of sustainable development in the partner countries in question. Given this background, and with a view to setting up a structure for the period after the end of bilateral development cooperation, BMZ State Secretary Hans-Jürgen Beerfeltz and his colleague at the Chinese Ministry of Commerce signed a joint declaration of intent in 2010 for a strategic partnership for development cooperation.
As part of this strategic partnership, the BMZ wants to enter into closer dialogue with China on global development issues, for example about the best ways to enhance effectiveness and improve mutual coordination in the sphere of global development cooperation. Moreover, where desired, Germany and China can engage in what is called triangular cooperation, which involves projects in developing countries in Africa or Latin America. In that way, they can enhance efficiency and mutual coordination of each side's development activities together with the partner countries in question. But it is also important, from a development point of view, to encourage China to play a bigger part in regional cooperation in Asia. Many countries in Asia are facing similar challenges, for instance the rapid growth of megacities and the overexploitation of natural resources. In order to help achieve sustainable solutions, the BMZ operates regional programmes to help relevant countries to work together and exchange experience.
Germany has actively accompanied China's very successful development process over the past few decades and, through its development cooperation, Germany has succeeded in bringing positive influence to bear on decisive issues – for example with regard to enhancing the rule of law, creating an investment-friendly market environment, and promoting environmental and climate protection. Given China's tremendous development achievements and its changed role in the global political and economic arena, the German-Chinese development partnership had perforce to be redesigned. That is why Minister Niebel decided to end traditional development cooperation with China. Since 2010, no more funding for new bilateral projects in China has been made available from the BMZ budget for official bilateral Technical and Financial Cooperation. However, existing commitments will be met, and any projects that had been agreed under international law prior to 2010 will be completed as planned. Most bilateral Technical Cooperation programme activities will be completed by 2014. A few Financial Cooperation programmes may go on beyond that date.
German Embassy

German Embassy in China
17, Dongzhimenwai Dajie
Chaoyang District
100600 Beijing
China
Phone:
+86 / 10 / 85 32 90 00
Fax:
+86 / 10 / 65 32 53 36






