Washington – A recent report from the Center for Global Development highlights a dramatic rise in China’s financial support for multilateral development institutions. Since 2010, Beijing’s contributions to development banks have grown tenfold, reaching roughly $3 billion in 2024, and its funding for United Nations development bodies jumped 47% in the same year.
Selective Increases and Strategic Priorities
The study notes that China also expanded multilateral climate‑finance outlays to $5.25 billion in 2025. However, the nation cut back funding for programs such as Gavi, the public‑private partnership that supplies vaccines to low‑income countries, by 32%.
Co‑author Ian Mitchell described the surge as “a big step up from 15 years ago, but it’s still a tiny share of China’s economy.” He added that China’s contributions remain highly selective, with most of its UN funding coming from mandatory assessments rather than voluntary donations.
Voting Power Lags Economic Weight
Despite the financial uptick, China’s influence in the world’s two largest development lenders remains modest. The country holds about a 6% share of voting rights at the World Bank—less than half of what the institution’s own economic formula would suggest. By contrast, the United States retains roughly 16% of the World Bank’s voting power, giving it effective veto authority.
U.S. and other Western officials have resisted proposals to overhaul the shareholder structures of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank that would grant China a larger voice. Their opposition is rooted in concerns over transparency and the lack of broad consensus among member nations.
China’s Position Among Donors
According to the report, China now ranks as the fifth‑largest donor to the World Bank’s International Development Association, the fund that supports the poorest nations, after pledging $1.5 billion in the most recent replenishment cycle.
In the past five years, China increased funding for zero‑ and low‑interest multilateral bank lending programs by 92%. Yet only 11% of its contributions to UN entities were classified as voluntary, a stark contrast to the United States, where more than 70% of contributions are voluntary.
Staffing and Borrowing Trends
Chinese nationals occupy five senior management positions across the World Bank and other multilateral development banks, a figure that has remained steady since 2021. However, Beijing has lost senior posts at several UN agencies, including the World Health Organization and the International Telecommunication Union, since 2020.
China’s borrowing from development banks has also declined sharply. Total borrowing fell to $4.7 billion in 2024 from $8 billion in 2021. Once the World Bank’s largest borrower in 2017, China now ranks 18th, and the Bank has announced it will cease new lending to China after 2031.
Implications for Global Development
The findings arrive ahead of the IMF and World Bank’s annual meetings in Bangkok, where member nations will debate governance reforms and funding priorities. While China’s financial contributions have risen, the study suggests the nation’s strategic emphasis remains focused on selective projects rather than broad, voluntary support for the multilateral system.
For U.S. policymakers, the contrast between China’s growing but targeted funding and the United States’ larger, more voluntary contributions underscores the importance of continued leadership in global development efforts.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
