China

In March 2011, DFID closed its bilateral aid programme to China. Our relationship with China will now identify ways in which both countries can work together as partners on shared global development objectives on global public goods and poverty reduction.

The new partnership will focus on issues including health, peace-keeping, climate change and disaster response in developing countries.

In the future, the UK and China hope also to work together on water, agriculture and reform of the international aid system. By sharing experience and expertise the UK and China could have a real impact on reducing global poverty.

A new era of collaboration between China and the UK was further sealed by the visit of UK International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell to Beijing in November 2011 where he met senior figures in the Chinese Government to forge a new alliance on international development.

As part of the Global Development Partnerships Programme (GDPP), there will also be greater coherence with China, as well as other emerging powers, in order to increase impact on poverty reduction, particularly in low income countries. The UK Coalition Government has made forging alliances with the emerging powers a foreign policy priority. Priorities for the Global Development Partnerships Programme are set by the National Security Council Emerging Powers Sub- Committee and are set out in detail in individual agreed Whitehall country strategies.