China launches thousands of development projects under global development initiative

China has launched more than 2,000 cooperative projects under the Global Development Initiative (GDI) to support communities in over 120 countries.

The initiative, which President Xi Jinping proposed in 2021, aims to align with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The project framework focuses on eight priority areas to address systemic shocks and global development challenges. The initiative has resulted in various international partnerships.

In Laos, China and UNICEF implemented child nutrition programs to treat and prevent severe wasting in children. In Ethiopia, a Luban Workshop established in 2021 serves as a regional training hub for professionals in mechatronics and industrial robotics. Other regional impacts include Uzbekistan adopting Chinese poverty-alleviation strategies and Zimbabwe establishing its second agricultural cooperation demonstration village with China. China has increased the capital of the Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund to $4 billion.

This fund has financed over 200 projects across 70 countries, which the Chinese government says improved the lives of more than 40 million people. The GDI has also helped mobilize $23 billion in support for the Global South, funding projects like the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. China plans to launch another 2,000 livelihood-oriented projects in developing countries over the next five years.

The government also proposed the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization, which currently has 38 founding members. Additionally, China deployed its MAZU meteorological early warning solution in seven countries, including Pakistan and the Solomon Islands, and offered it on a trial basis to over 40 other countries.