China issues white paper on foreign aid

China on Thursday issued its second white paper on foreign aid, elaborating how the nation helps other developing countries reduce poverty and improve livelihood without imposing political conditions.
The white paper, China's Foreign Aid (2014), says as the world's largest developing country, China appropriated 89.34 billion yuan about (about 14 billion US dollars) for foreign assistance through grant, interest-free loans and concessional loans from 2010 to 2012, according to China's (Xinhua) News Agency.
"When providing foreign assistance, China adheres to the principles of not imposing any political conditions, not interfering in the internal affairs of the recipient countries and fully respecting their right to independently choosing their own paths and models of development, " the document said.
China first began to provide foreign aid in 1950, when it provided material assistance to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Vietnam, according to an earlier white paper on foreign aid issued in 2011.
Before the updates on foreign aid from 2010 to 2012, China had offered aid to 161 countries and more than 30 international and regional organizations, already providing 256.29 billion yuan in aid to foreign countries, data from the previous white paper showed.
From 2010 to 2012, over half of China's foreign aid went to African nations, according to the new white paper.
Recipient countries of China's foreign aid from 2010 to 2012 included 51 African nations, 30 Asian countries, nine in Oceania, 19 in Latin America and the Caribbean and 12 European countries.
The document called for the international community to mobilize more development resources to promote economic and social development of developing countries to eliminate poverty worldwide.
Also, China relieved nine least developed countries and heavily indebted poor countries, namely, Tanzania, Zambia, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Mali, Togo, Benin, Cote d'Ivoire and Sudan, from 16 mature interest-free loans totaling 1.42 billion yuan.