A Comparative Study of China and EU Aid Policies to Africa in the 21 st Century: Will Trilateral Cooperation Increase Aid Effectiveness?

Abstract

Since the 21st Century, the effectiveness and quality of foreign aid has become the basic goal of both China and the EU. China’s foreign aid to Africa has kept in line with the policy of equal treatment and is also highlighted by the mutual benefit of aid between African States. On the other hand, the EU as a traditional donor, has remained the largest foreign aid distributor in the world, especially on the African continent. As a result, EU foreign aid is until today an indispensable source of funding for many African countries. However, the effectiveness of China’s and the EU’s foreign aid policies on the African continent are being questioned and challenged. Some critics argues that China’s and the EU’s foreign aid policies to Africa are not bringing the best results as expected. What should be done to make progress on poverty reduction and hopefully eradicate poverty on the African continent? A comparative analysis is used in this paper to introduce a new international architecture of foreign aid through trilateral cooperation to improve aid effectiveness. Trilateral cooperation will give a chance to African countries to enhance and strengthen their own development capacity through assistance, ensure ownership and ultimately manage a smooth exit from foreign aid dependence.