Performance of the China International Development Cooperation Agency: A Critical Assessment

Established in 2018, the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA) seeks to improve the quality of China’s foreign aid in support of major-country diplomacy. However, few studies have comprehensively and critically assessed CIDCA’s since its inception. This article addresses the research gap by examining CIDCA’s roles in China’s diplomatic strategy, foreign aid management and project implementation. It argues that CIDCA stands at a crossroads and reforms have begun, but progress is slow, hampered by its limited capacity and the absence of a clear and coherent foreign aid strategy aligned with China’s major-country diplomacy.