China’s Evolving Philosophy of Non-conditionality in Foreign Aid: A Constructivist Analysis

Abstract: After Chinese President Xi Jinping assumed power in 2013, China initiated reforms in foreign aid while maintaining its philosophy of non-conditionality. Given China’s role as a donor country for over 70 years, it is important to consider whether the implications of its non-conditionality have evolved. This article examines the evolution of the connotations of this non-conditionality. Using the constructivist theory of international relations, the article argues that China’s evolving national identity—from a communist country to a developing country and, ultimately, a great power—explains the changes in the connotations attached to its non-conditionality. This evolution has transitioned from not attaching economic conditions to aid to not requiring neoliberal reforms. Furthermore, China has increasingly focused on promoting its development model through non-conditionality to contrast its development strategy with that of Western funding sources rather than merely opposing Western neoliberal intervention as such. However, several contradictions are evident in the Xi administration’s approach to non-conditionality.