The Chinese narrative in the debate of international development

The AIIB case

Abstract

Having established its own initiatives for international development cooperation, China stands today as one of the world’s largest providers of development finance. Although the World Bank and the United Nations are traditionally considered as the most important organizations in the field of international development, newly established institutions, such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), emerged as major contributors in disseminating ideas about social and economic development in Asia and beyond. The article argues that the Chinese narrative about international development and, more specifically, Chinese views on South-South Development Cooperation (SSDC), while designed to improve the country’s competitiveness at the global level, posited consistent challenges to the ideological orientation of the multilateral development banks (MDBs) framework. The creation of China-led initiatives raises fundamental questions about the future of the MDBs agenda and policy prescription but even more, with regards to the global public discourse in the context of international development cooperation.