Sydney think tank says China less generous toward Pacific

By ROD McGUIRK
Associated Press

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — China gave significantly less aid to Pacific island nations in recent years despite Beijing’s diplomatic efforts to increase its influence in the region, according to a Sydney-based think tank. Chinese aid to the Pacific shrank by a 31% in 2019 to $169 million, the Lowy Institute reported in its annual Pacific Aid Map. The think tank says only the World Bank pulled back more that year. The map is a data base covering 66 donors and tens of thousands of aid projects in 14 Pacific island sovereign nations. Data since 2019 including the impact of the pandemic are not included in the report.