China’s economic statecraft: the use of economic power in an interdependent world

Figures & data

Figure 1. China’s official foreign aid expenditure, 2003–2018 (source: China Africa Research Initiative).³⁰

Figure 2. China’s outward FDI flows, 2006–2017 (source: Chinese Ministry of Commerce).³²

Table 1. China’s use of economic sanctions since 1949 (compiled by the author from multiple sources)^51.

Year	Target country	Issue	Type of measures
1978–1988	Vietnam	Vietnamese troops in Kampuchea	all economic and technical aid stopped, engineers and other technical personnel working in Vietnam recalled
1978–1983	Albania	in retaliation for “anti- Chinese rhetoric”	all economic and technical aid stopped
1992–1994	France	arms sales to Taiwan	freeze of imports
2003	North Korea	security	brief shut off of pipeline oil deliveries to pressure North Korea to join the first round of Six-party talks
2007	Vietnam	sovereignty	threats of sanctions (to British Petroleum if they do not stop joint ventures with Vietnamese company in disputed territory in the South China Sea)
2008	Vietnam	sovereignty	threats of sanctions (to Exxon Mobil if they do not stop joint ventures with Vietnamese companyin disputed territory in the South China Sea)
2009	France	announcement that President Nicolas Sarkozy would meet the Dalai Lama	order for 150 planes from Airbus canceled; two Chinese trade delegations to the EU cancel visit to France
2010	US	arms sales to Taiwan	threats of sanctions on manufacturers involved in transactions
2010	Japan	detention of Chinese fishing boat captain near Senkaku islands	export freeze (rare earth elements)
2010	Norway	sovereignty (Nobel Peace Prize awarded to a Chinese dissident)	ministerial trade delegation to Norway canceled; restriction of imports (salmon)
2012	UK	prime minister meets the Dalai Lama	investment deals put on hold
2012–2016	the Philippines	territorial claims in the South China Sea (Scarborough Shoal standoff)	tight quarantine measures on fruit import; cancelation of tour company visits
2013	Lithuania	sovereignty (president meets with Dalai Lama)	freeze of trade relations for 18 months
2016	Taiwan	election of a pro- independence president of Taiwan	cut off of group tourism to Taiwan
2016	Mongolia	sovereignty (Dalai Lama visit)	temporary closure of the border crossing between China and Mongolia
2016–2017	South Korea	security (deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense platform (THAAD))	travel agencies stopped from sending groups to South Korea; goods held up at customs; 87 of 99 Lotte stores closed in China
2019	US	trade war-related issue	threat of blacklisting
2019	US	arms sales to Taiwan	specific sanctions on manufacturers involved in transactions
2020	Australia	a call for an investigation into the origins of coronavirus	warning of possible consumer boycotts; (not officially linked to the issue) China imposes 80% tariff on Australian barley, issues a warning to Chinese students in Australia