China’s Global Development Initiative and the 2030 Agenda: Natural Companions or Uncomfortable Bedfellows

Abstract In September 2021, the Chinese government launched the Global Development Initiative (GDI), a program aimed at financing the 2030 Agenda and promoting greener and more sustainable development. This article analyses the compatibility of the GDI with the 2030 Agenda, identifying points of convergence and departure. Despite the GDI’s rhetorical packaging as human-rights based and people-centred, the GDI appears to represent a predominantly needs-based approach to development focused on improving socio-economic wellbeing through targeted poverty alleviation programs. While the GDI is most likely to excel in the area of poverty alleviation, this article cautions that the decoupling of institutions and governance from development may prevent China from translating its investment in material wellbeing into long-run development in states with poor governance and weak institutions.