A press conference held by the China International Development Cooperation Agency on March 17, 2025 Photo: Shen Sheng/GT

Under the framework of the Global Development Initiative, China has been continuously fostering development consensus, building diverse partnerships, improving institutional mechanisms, promoting practical cooperation and achieving certain progress in global development efforts, Li Ming, a spokesperson for the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA) told the Global Times on Monday.

Li made these remarks at a press conference in response to whether China has communicated with international organizations regarding recent changes — media reports of the termination of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and related projects — that have significantly disrupted global aid initiatives and whether China will implement measures to support international organizations in sustaining operational continuity.

"We will continue to do what we can within our power and undertake equal consultation and win-win cooperation with development partners from the South and the North," said Li, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

The spokesperson noted that unilateralism is on the rise and power politics are running rampant. The global governance system, with the UN system at its center, is being questioned and challenged by individual countries, and the global development is in crisis. As a founding member of the UN and a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China has always firmly supported the development of the UN, and defended the UN-centered international system, Li said.

He stressed that China hosted two high-level conferences of the Forum on Global Action for Shared Development, three sessions of the China-Indian Ocean Region Forum on Blue Economy Development Cooperation, and co-organized the 2024 National Evaluation Capacities Conference with United Nations Development Programme. 

These initiatives have brought together representatives from more than 200 countries and international organizations, engaging thousands of participants in online events and yielding more than 100 development cooperation outcomes, he said.

Emphasizing resource diversification, Li noted that China has made full use of its $4 billion China-funded Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund. More than 20 international organizations have collaborated within this framework. To date, over 160 projects have been carried out across 60 countries, benefiting more than 30 million people in developing nations. 

Additionally, China has mobilized social financing, establishing a $14 billion Global Development Fund to tailor investment solutions for various development projects, said the spokesperson.

In addition to developing countries, China has established institutional dialogue and cooperation relations with developed countries such as Germany and Japan as well as multilateral development organizations such as the OECD, and China has maintained close communication with internationally renowned financial institutions and non-governmental organizations such as the Gates Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation, to deepen exchanges within the framework of the United Nations and explore opportunities for trilateral and multilateral cooperation, according to Li.
 
According to the Xinhua, development assistance from certain developed countries has continued to decline, Li said China has closely monitored the difficulties and disturbances caused by relevant adjustments and changes to aid recipients. He expressed full understanding of their anxiety and helplessness, believing these moves run counter to the commitments and obligations undertaken by the developed countries under the UN framework.

"A major country should act like a major country by shouldering its due international obligations and fulfilling its responsibilities, rather than renege on its promises, be mercenary or bullying," Li said, as reported by Xinhua.

The spokesperson also outlined new areas of focus for CIDCA's future work in foreign assistance, including the digital economy, artificial intelligence, aerospace and the blue economy.