Is China considering joining the Paris Club?
The short answer is: no.
Below is how CIDCA’s vice-chairman Zhou Lijun 周柳军 responded to this question, posed at a press conference by Bloomberg, in October 2021 (original article here):
China is currently not a member of the Paris Club, but we have participated in a part of Paris Club activities as a non-member country, and our communication with Paris Club members has been very smooth.
Moving forward, China will adhere to principles of “joint actions, fair burden sharing, a case-by-case approach and multilateral consensus” for multilateral debt treatment, strengthen communication and cooperation with all parties, and work with other parties to help African countries address their debt issues. Moreover, we will work with the African side to speed up the implementation of the outcomes of the FOCAC Beijing Summit, accelerate the implementation of cooperation projects that meet the African countries’ urgent need for development and further strengthen the internal driving forces of African economies. At the same time, we call on developed countries, multilateral financial institutions and private creditors to mate their words with deeds and do more things that benefit developing countries in Africa and elsewhere. We should work together and complement each other’s strengths to sincerely support developing countries, including African countries, to achieve sustainable development and bring tangible benefits to their people.
中国目前不是巴黎俱乐部成员，但是我们以非成员国的身份参加了部分巴黎俱乐部活动，同巴黎俱乐部各成员国的沟通也非常顺畅。
下一步，中方将坚持“共同行动、公平负担、个案处理、多边共识”的多边债务处理原则，加强同各方沟通合作，携手帮助非洲国家应对债务问题，并与非方一道加紧落实中非合作论坛北京峰会各项成果，加快推进符合非洲各国发展急需的合作项目，进一步增强非洲经济内生动力。同时，在这里我们也呼吁，发达国家、多边金融机构和私人债权方，大家言行一致，多做有益于非洲国家等发展中国家发展的事。大家一起齐心协力、优势互补，真心实意支持包括非洲国家在内的广大发展中国家实现可持续发展，为当地的民众带来实实在在的福祉。谢谢。
While Zhou Lijun doesn’t answer the question directly, the implied answer is clearly: no. The answer is an expression of China’s belief that the Paris Club principles do not match the development financing needs of developing countries and are not suited to bring “tangible benefits” to their people. Something, the answer implies, that Chinese development finance does.
Leave a Reply