Research project
China and the UN Sustainable Development Goals
Events
China sees itself as both a major power and a developing country that is eager to contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals – domestically and internationally. In this project, we focus on international engagements, and study, in particular, Chinese contributions and actors within development aid and assistance, peace operations, health and education and the environment. We look at this in connection to China’s overall and internationally oriented sustainability- and development politics, and we exemplify using specific country cases and conflicts where Chinese actors play important roles.
The responsible researchers are all affiliated to Norwegian research institutions, but the project includes a number of activities where researchers from China, various African countries and other international colleagues and professionals contribute with their expertise from China- and development related studies. In the final stages of the project, we discuss China’s sustainability politics with consideration to Norwegian interests and development policy traditions.
Project Manager
Participants
Articles
China from careful participant to budding development partner
While the rest of the world is shutting down China is restarting its machinery after months of strict infection measures. China’s role as a development actor may grow.
New publications
China in the Sustainable Development Agenda: Key Institutions for International Engagement
China has a large and expansive network of actors working on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) activities. This report maps the foremost key Chinese actors and institutions with an orientation towards international activities.
China’s role in the Sustainable Development Agenda: Considerations for Norway
China’s role as an international development actor is growing, with real and increasing potential to impact Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). On some issues, Chinese initiatives align well with Norwegian interests, but China’s approach to development also diverges on some key practices and norms. While Chinese international efforts meet mixed reactions, Norway should stake out its own course for when and how to engage with China over SDGs.
China in the Sustainable Development Agenda: Key environmental issues and responses
China is dealing with very serious pollution levels and the unsustainable use of many natural resources. Environmental issues, concerning both air, ground, and ocean, have gained increasing recognition in Chinese domestic politics, and China is stepping into more active roles in international environmental governance. By committing to international agreements but insisting on differentiated responsibilities and voluntary contributions, China is taking something of a middle position between developing countries and many higher-income states.
China in the Sustainable Development Agenda: Contributions to health and education
China is scaling up its investments in health and education, making significant contributions to the UN 2030 Agenda and related Sustainable Development Goals. Domestically, China is working to modernize its entire health care system, improve mandatory and additional education, and foster elite academic institutions. Internationally, China is increasing both its bilateral and multilateral support. Looking beyond 2020, the coronavirus crisis is not likely to change this overall trajectory, but China may increase its investment in both domestic and international health and disease prevention systems.
From careful participant to budding partner: China in the Sustainable Development Agenda
China is an increasingly active player in the Sustainable Development Agenda. It has staked out a national Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) plan that stresses comprehensive development with serious consideration to environmental issues. Internationally, China’s development role is growing, manifested through increasing trade, aid, and investment and a stronger position within many international organizations. China uses SDG-related activities to promote and align its domestic and international development interests.
China's Evolving Approach to UN Peacekeeping in Africa
China’s new, assertive role in UN peacekeeping, especially in Africa, represents a significant shift in Beijing’s peace and security posture that is not yet fully reflected in official discourse and rhetoric, but that reflects China’s new confidence with its global power status. Every significant adaptation in its peacekeeping policy has reflected an important shift in the country’s practical foreign and security policy. Tracing and tracking China’s peacekeeping policy and practice is thus a useful proxy for analysing the evolution of its peace and security considerations. In this In this report Senior Research Fellows Kari Osland and Cedric de Coning consider the medium- to long-term trajectory of China’s peace and security practices by analysing its recent activity in Africa, focusing on how China has used its contributions to the UN peacekeeping missions in Mali (MINUSMA) and South Sudan (UNMISS).