The expanding role of provinces

Chinese provinces, along with other subnational entities, hold a prominent position in China’s foreign economic relations, diplomacy, and relations with developing countries. In recent years, a mounting academic interest has emerged regarding the relationship between China’s central government and its provinces in delivering overseas development projects. Scholars have primarily focused on comprehending the decentralisation of the system and deconstructing China as a unitary actor. This chapter aims to provide an overview of theories and frameworks developed in the past decade that interpret Chinese provinces’ participation in development cooperation. Given the shifting dynamics of China’s foreign policy, economic development, and development thinking, the nature of development cooperation at the provincial level has undergone changes as well. The chapter illustrates this point by analysing two distinct provincial units in China – Hunan and Ningxia – and demonstrates the growing significance of Chinese provinces in shaping China’s future development cooperation. Moreover, it highlights the motivational and structural complexities that underlie these developments.