Did My Aid Do That?

Chinese Aid and Human Rights Performance

Greyson Mann, Wofford College
T. David Mason, Ph.D., and Brandon Stewart
National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates
University of North Texas
Denton, Texas
Abstract

In recent years China has increased its engagement in the developing world. Previous studies
have examined China's policy, weapons transfers, and the perspectives of Chinese engagement in
Africa, but have failed to examine this relationship's effects on human rights. This paper argues
that as Chinese aid increases, human rights violations should also increase because of the
unconditionality of Chinese aid. Upon receiving aid with no stipulations of democracy or pursuit of
human rights policy recipients may be more inclined to use repressive measures to maintain
power and are further supported through Chinese developmental assistance. On the contrary, a
ordinal probit analysis of all 54 African countries' human rights performance as compared to the
amount of Chinese aid they received in that year demonstrates an insignificant relationship
between the two variables. These findings imply that repressive regimes will commit human rights
violations whether receiving Chinese aid or not.

Theory
China strategically deals foreign aid, but has no
requirements of pursuit of human rights policy or
democracy. Also, China's definition of foreign aid
includes military aid. The lack of incentive to pursue
human rights policy and democratic governance,
creates a dangerous situation of a potentially or
already repressive regime with economic and
military support to repress its citizens further. Also,
some of the autocratic and repressive regimes that
China supports have oligarchic and elitist rule. They
may use Chinese aid for personal benefits and
cause inequality and instability among the populace.
As a result, that government may be further pushed
to use repressive tactics to stay in power.

Hypothesis

H1: As a recipient country receives more Chinese aid, their human rights performance decreases.

Findings
Chinese aid from 1998-2011 as measured by AidData was found to not have a significant
relationship with human rights performance as measured by PTSs data from Amnesty
International and the State Department. This demonstrates that Chinese aid does not cause
countries to become more repressive. The graphs below demonstrate the consistent nature of a
regime's human rights performance despite the level of Chinese aid.
Sudan: Chinese Foreign Aid and Human Rights Performance

*Aid Amount is Calculated in US Dollars

* Aid Amount is Calculated in US Dollars

$2,500,000,000

5
$350,000,000

$2,000,000,000

$300,000,000

$1,500,000,000

$1,000,000,000

$500,000,000

Chinese
Foreign
Aid

Repression

Chinese Foreign Aid to Sudan

4
PTS State Department

Chinese Foreign Aid to Mauritius

Future research can further this study by taking into

account other more covert existential
consequences. Some argue Chinese aid is elite
centered. As a result, future studies should look to
determine whether Chinese aid projects have been
manipulated through graft and misuse of resources.
This could promote inequality among the populace,
and cause civil unrest. This situation may cause a
repressive government to abuse citizens physical
integrity rights in order to stay in power, thus aid
indirectly causing a system of human rights
abuses. This further would show the importance of
certain stipulations to aid, whether it be policy,
democracy, or other methods of ensuring the aid is
used to benefit a specific area.

Mauritius: Chinese Foreign Aid and Human Rights Performance

$250,000,000
3

$200,000,000

$150,000,000

$100,000,000

PTS State Department

Future Research

Chinese
Foreign
Aid

Repression

1
$50,000,000

$0

0
1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011
1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010
Year

$0

1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011

1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010

Year

Data Inquiry
The two models only produced 246 observations and 206 observations respectively. This is a result of the
lack of transparency by the Chinese government on foreign aid activities. Thus, in order to get the most
accurate study of this relationship, more precise data from the Chinese government is necessary.

Results and Implications

The insignificant relationship of Chinese foreign aid
on human rights performance suggests that
repressive regimes will be repressive regardless of
receiving Chinese aid or not.
From this, several implications may be drawn:
1.Aid without stipulations does not affect whether a
country pursues human rights policy or democratic
practices. It is possible, that repression and
potential for repressive actions is an internal, not
external issue.
2.China's projects in developing countries may
have less malicious intent than previous literature
describes. Upon scrutiny of the data there are
1700 official finance projects and only 80 military.
3.There may be other causes of human rights
violations other than Chinese foreign aid. Previous
studies have argued that America's influence in
autocratic countries in Africa is still greater than
that of China's.
The implications that Chinese foreign aid may not
be the cause of increased human rights violations
provides compelling grounds for further scholarly
inquiry into China's relationship in Africa.

Selected Citations

Strange, Austin; et. al. 2013. "China's Development

Finance to Africa: A Media Based Approach to Data
Collection". CGD Working Paper 323. Washington DC:
Center for Global Development
http://www.cgdev.org/publication/chinas-development-fin
ance
Yiagadeesen, Samy. 2010. "China's Aid Policies in Africa:
Opportunities and Challenges" The Round Table
99.406: 75-90
De Soya, Ingrid; Midford, Paul. 2012. "Enter the Dragon!
An Empirical Analysis of Chinese vs. US Arms Transfers
to Autocrats and Violators of Human Rights 1989-2006"
International Studies Quarterly 56: 843-856

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to T. David Mason, John Ishiyama, Michael

Greig, and Brandon Stewart for their support.
This material is based upon work supported by the American
Political Science Association