Is France too generous? In 2020, our country paid the tidy sum of 140 million euros to China, as official development assistance (ODA). This figure, admittedly modest compared to the overall amount of French assistance to developing countries (3.9 billion euros in 2021, 4.9 billion euros in 2022) nevertheless places the Asian giant in ninth place. classification of the main beneficiaries of French subsidies, which may take the form of grants or loans. In the wake of African countries (Senegal, Somalia, Morocco, Ivory Coast, Kenya), and a trio made up of India, Turkey and Mauritius, China finds itself better off than Burkina Faso and Cameroon, however much more disadvantaged.
A total incongruity, for the deputy Les Républicains (LR) Marc Le Fur, special rapporteur for budgetary missions “loans to foreign states” and “Official development assistance” within the framework of the finance bill for 2022. And for good reason , he recalls, the situation of China, “which occupies the special position of recipient and donor” of official development assistance (AFD), does not have much in common with the other beneficiaries of the French aid. In terms of its GDP, the Asian giant is very close to the status of the world’s leading economic power, far ahead of France. This did not prevent it from receiving 371 million euros in French development aid, over the period 2018-2020.
Why is China entitled to these considerations despite its dominant position in international trade? Quite simply because the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development), which brings together 38 member states – including France – still considers it a developing country, because of its per capita GDP. In 2020, it reached $ 9,608, according to data from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which ranks the Asian nation 72nd in the world, far behind France (21st) or the United States (9th). This indicator, largely indexed to the number of inhabitants – the GDP per capita is calculated by dividing the country’s overall GDP by the population – should however be taken with a grain of salt since it naturally disadvantages China and its 1.4 billion people. souls.
According to MP Marc Le Fur, French aid to China no longer exists today. He therefore pleads for resolute action by France with the OECD, so that it modifies the criteria for the allocation of ODA. “It is urgent to remove China from the list of developing countries,” he says, while insisting that the bulk of the amount of French aid be concentrated on countries considered to be priorities, mainly in Africa and the Middle East.
⋙ To read also – Health pass: the Constitutional Council gives the green light until July 31, 2022
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