Chinese trade and investment and its impacts on forests

Chinese trade and investment and its impacts on forests PDF Author: Laura A. German
Publisher: CIFOR
ISBN: 6021504895
Category :
Languages : zh-CN
Pages : 60

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Book Description
Chinese trade and investment and its impacts on forests: A scoping study in the miombo woodlands [Chinese] 中国的贸易和投资及其对林业的影响: 对米欧波 (Miombo) 林地的概况研究 China’s diplomatic and economic presence in Africa has grown considerably in recent years. From the establishment of the Forum on China – Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) and efforts to strengthen diplomatic, cultural and economic relations with African nations, to the rapid growth in Chinese foreign direct investment (FDI) and bilateral trade, this relationship is likely to continue to play a defining role in African economies. These trends are important for African nations that see this relationship as an opportunity to catalyse much-needed investments in infrastructure and industry, to stimulate job creation and exports, and to counter-balance the historical influence of western nations. Yet a perceived lack of transparency in Sino-African diplomacy (and related lending conditionalities) and lesser concern for social and environmental impacts among Chinese investors has raised concerns about the potential risks of this emerging partnership. In the absence of strong evidence on the uniqueness of Chinese diplomatic and economic relations in specific countries in the region and related impacts, it is impossible to assess the opportunities and risks posed by China’s growing influence in the region. This report, and the wider project in which it is embedded, aims to shed light on this debate by examining the Chinese influence on the forestry sector in Congo Basin and Miombo woodland countries. Through a comparative analysis of patterns of aid, trade and investment with Chinese and other ‘development partners’, and their social, economic and environmental implications for key sectors shaping African forests (agriculture, forestry, mining), the project aims to explore the nuances behind the emerging Sino-African partnership. Towards this end, this report explores the diplomatic and economic relations between China and three miombo woodland countries (Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe). Emphasis is placed on the identification of key patterns of Sino-African trade and investment in sectors of interest, as a means of identifying trends of importance to forests and exploring key themes for more in-depth research. Initial findings suggest that while Chinese aid, trade and investment are playing a significant and often defining role in the sectors of interest, the level and mode of influence – and anticipated impacts on forests – vary considerably across countries and sectors. The report also highlights the trade-offs that often accompany the activities of state and non-state, small- and large-scale operators alike.

Chinese trade and investment and its impacts on forests

Chinese trade and investment and its impacts on forests PDF Author: Laura A. German
Publisher: CIFOR
ISBN: 6021504895
Category :
Languages : zh-CN
Pages : 60

Get Book Here

Book Description
Chinese trade and investment and its impacts on forests: A scoping study in the miombo woodlands [Chinese] 中国的贸易和投资及其对林业的影响: 对米欧波 (Miombo) 林地的概况研究 China’s diplomatic and economic presence in Africa has grown considerably in recent years. From the establishment of the Forum on China – Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) and efforts to strengthen diplomatic, cultural and economic relations with African nations, to the rapid growth in Chinese foreign direct investment (FDI) and bilateral trade, this relationship is likely to continue to play a defining role in African economies. These trends are important for African nations that see this relationship as an opportunity to catalyse much-needed investments in infrastructure and industry, to stimulate job creation and exports, and to counter-balance the historical influence of western nations. Yet a perceived lack of transparency in Sino-African diplomacy (and related lending conditionalities) and lesser concern for social and environmental impacts among Chinese investors has raised concerns about the potential risks of this emerging partnership. In the absence of strong evidence on the uniqueness of Chinese diplomatic and economic relations in specific countries in the region and related impacts, it is impossible to assess the opportunities and risks posed by China’s growing influence in the region. This report, and the wider project in which it is embedded, aims to shed light on this debate by examining the Chinese influence on the forestry sector in Congo Basin and Miombo woodland countries. Through a comparative analysis of patterns of aid, trade and investment with Chinese and other ‘development partners’, and their social, economic and environmental implications for key sectors shaping African forests (agriculture, forestry, mining), the project aims to explore the nuances behind the emerging Sino-African partnership. Towards this end, this report explores the diplomatic and economic relations between China and three miombo woodland countries (Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe). Emphasis is placed on the identification of key patterns of Sino-African trade and investment in sectors of interest, as a means of identifying trends of importance to forests and exploring key themes for more in-depth research. Initial findings suggest that while Chinese aid, trade and investment are playing a significant and often defining role in the sectors of interest, the level and mode of influence – and anticipated impacts on forests – vary considerably across countries and sectors. The report also highlights the trade-offs that often accompany the activities of state and non-state, small- and large-scale operators alike.

Chinese Trade and Investment and Its Impacts on Forests

Chinese Trade and Investment and Its Impacts on Forests PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
China's diplomatic and economic presence in Africa has grown considerably in recent years. From the establishment of the Forum on ChinaAfrica Cooperation (FOCAC) and efforts to strengthen diplomatic, cultural and economic relations with African nations to the rapid growth in Chinese foreign direct investment (FDI) and bilateral trade, this relationship is likely to continue to play a defining role in African economies. These trends are important for African nations that see this relationship as an opportunity to catalyse much-needed investments in infrastructure and industry, and to stimulate job creation and exports. At the same time, however, it has raised concerns among civil society and traditional development partners alike, which question whether the limited transparency or conditionalities in lending will undermine long-term development through increased indebtedness and competition with African industries or by slowing advances in governance. The research community has taken a keen interest in this dynamic and has begun to shed light on its implications for economic development in the global South. 1 A number of recent studies also explore how China's growing wood-processing sector is shaping the global timber trade and related impacts in source countries. 2 However, limited attention has been given to understanding how growing Sino-African trade and investment is shaping forests through extra-sectoral drivers (e.g. in the agricultural or mining sectors) or how broader trends in economic cooperation and diplomacy are shaping resource access and related impacts. The aim of this report, and the project in which it is embedded, is to shed light on this debate ...

Chinese trade and investment and the forests of the Congo Basin

Chinese trade and investment and the forests of the Congo Basin PDF Author: Louis Putzel
Publisher: CIFOR
ISBN:
Category : China
Languages : en
Pages : 54

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Book Description
Since 2000 and the implementation of China’s ‘going abroad’ policy, mainland Chinese state-owned and private companies have significantly increased their interests in the resources and investment opportunities of the Congo Basin, bringing new opportunities as well as potential social and environmental costs. This report is a synthesis of some main findings of preliminary scoping studies conducted by CIFOR and partners in Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo and Gabon. It focuses on how Chinese trade and investment in the forestry, mining and agricultural sectors might relate to effects on forests and forest-dependent communities in the region. All studies were conducted under the CIFOR project ‘Chinese trade and investment in Africa: Assessing and governing trade-offs to national economies, local livelihoods and forest ecosystems’, initiated in 2010. The scoping studies yielded useful results, including an increased understanding of the main trends in natural resources trade between the target countries and China, and the major land-based productive sectors targeted by Chinese investors. The studies also considered the role of national agencies tasked with promoting investment and overseeing corporate adherence to environmental and social requirements, and provided a better understanding of the informal processes surrounding investment and acquisition of land and other resources.

Greening China

Greening China PDF Author: Ka Zeng
Publisher: University of Michigan Press
ISBN: 0472901192
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 250

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Book Description
“The authors make some very critical interventions in this debate and scholars engaged in the environmental ‘pollution haven’ and ‘race to the bottom’ debates will need to take the arguments made here seriously, re-evaluating their own preferred theories to respond to the insightful theorizing and empirically rigorous testing that Zeng and Eastin present in the book.” —Ronald Mitchell, University of Oregon China has earned a reputation for lax environmental standards that allegedly attract corporations more interested in profit than in moral responsibility and, consequently, further negate incentives to raise environmental standards. Surprisingly, Ka Zeng and Joshua Eastin find that international economic integration with nation-states that have stringent environmental regulations facilitates the diffusion of corporate environmental norms and standards to Chinese provinces. At the same time, concerns about “green” tariffs imposed by importing countries encourage Chinese export-oriented firms to ratchet up their own environmental standards. The authors present systematic quantitative and qualitative analyses and data that not only demonstrate the ways in which external market pressure influences domestic environmental policy but also lend credence to arguments for the ameliorative effect of trade and foreign direct investment on the global environment.

China's Forests

China's Forests PDF Author: William F. Hyde
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317368592
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 245

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Book Description
Forestry and Forest Policy are key issues for the protection of China’s natural environment and for its continued economic development. Originally published in 2003, the contributors to this title review the successes of China’s forest policies and the growth of its forests over the past quarter-century and examine the challenges facing China’s forests and rural environment. China’s Forests: Global Lessons from Market Reforms is a valuable resource for students interested in environmental studies, international forest policy, and the modern development of China.

Analysis of China’s overseas investment policies

Analysis of China’s overseas investment policies PDF Author: Huang Wenbin
Publisher: CIFOR
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 44

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Book Description
In recent years, in line with China’s Going Out strategy announced in 2000, China’s overseas investment activities have increased greatly and at increasing rates. By the end of 2009, the total value of China’s outward foreign direct investment had reached US$5.6 billion. Policies have played strong supporting roles in bringing about this trend by facilitating and encouraging Chinese companies to make overseas investments. This working paper summarises these policies based on an analysis of policy changes over time and identifies the main drivers of these changes. It also highlights some key research questions of relevance to deepening understanding of the impacts of Chinese trade and investment in Africa. The project ‘Chinese trade and investment in Africa: Assessing and governing trade-offs to national economies, local livelihoods and forest ecosystems’ project, launched in March 2010, aims to advance understanding of the social, economic and environmental impacts of Chinese investment in commodities or sectors affecting forests and livelihoods in Africa (e.g. timber, mining, agriculture), and to strengthen the capacity of decision-makers in government, civil society and the private sector to enact reforms to maximise social and economic benefits while minimising adverse effects.

China and Sustainable Development in Latin America

China and Sustainable Development in Latin America PDF Author: Rebecca Ray
Publisher: Anthem Press
ISBN: 1783086165
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 201

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Book Description
During Latin America’s China-led commodity boom, governments turned a blind eye to the inherent flaws in the region’s economic policy. Now that the commodity boom is coming to an end, those flaws cannot be ignored. High on the list of shortcomings is the fact that Latin American governments—and Chinese investors—largely fell short of mitigating the social and environmental impacts of commodity-led growth. The recent commodity boom exacerbated pressure on the region’s waterways and forests, accentuating threats to human health, biodiversity, global climate change and local livelihoods. China and Sustainable Development in Latin America documents the social and environmental impact of the China-led commodity boom in the region. It also highlights important areas of innovation, like Chile’s solar energy sector, in which governments, communities and investors worked together to harness the commodity boom for the benefit of the people and the planet.

Chinese Aid, Trade and Investment and the Forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo

Chinese Aid, Trade and Investment and the Forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo PDF Author: Louis Putzel
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
The relationship between the Democratic Republic of Congo/Zaïre (DRC) and the People's Republic of China (China) has evolved significantly during the past 40 years. From a largely strategic alliance favouring a more prominent position for China in Africa and on the world stage and symbolic development assistance in support of Mobutu's regime, it has developed into a business partnership featuring thriving bilateral commerce and increasing private investment by Chinese multinationals. During the past decade, the DRC has become the target of a number of major investments from China, especially in the mining sector, where a planned US$6 billion resources-for-infrastructure swap has sparked a great deal of controversy among global financial institutions and advocacy groups. Most of the costs of developing and rehabilitating the DRC's transportation infrastructure are covered by loans from China, as are around a quarter of the costs of building new energy infrastructure. At least one large Chinese multinational is poised to engage in large-scale development of oil palm plantations, and there is evidence that the volume of timber exports to China has been increasing rapidly. Given the great importance of conserving and sustainably managing the DRC's extensive forest ecosystems, which are vulnerable to development pressures and extractive activities, as well as the continued severe economic disadvantages experienced by most of the Congolese population, research is needed to gauge the impacts of increased trade and investment and to assess the efficacy of existing institutions in overning the related environmental and social impacts. As part of its project 'Chinese trade and investment in Africa', the CIFOR and its partners ...

China’s Grain for Green Program

China’s Grain for Green Program PDF Author: Claudio O. Delang
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319115057
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 243

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Book Description
This book provides a comprehensive review of Grain for Green, China’s nationwide program which pays farmers to revert sloping or marginal farm land to trees or grass. The program aims to improve the ecological conditions of much of China, and the socioeconomic circumstances of hundreds of millions of people. GfG is the largest reforestation, ecological restoration, and rural development initiative in history, combining the biggest investment, the greatest involvement, and the broadest degree of public participation ever. The book is organised in three sections. Part One reviews the history of land management in China from 1949 to 1998, exploring the conditions that led to the introduction of GfG, and comparing it to other reforestation programs. Part Two offers an overview of GfG, describing the timeline of the program, compensation paid to farmers, the rules concerning land and plant selection, the extent to which these rules were followed, the attitudes of farmers towards the program, and the way in which the program is organized and implemented by various state actors. Part Three discusses the impact of the GfG, from both ecological and socio-economic standpoints, looking at the economic benefits that result from participating in the GfG, the impact of the GfG across local economies, the redistribution of the labor force and the sustainability of the program, in particular the question of what will happen to the converted land when payments to farmers end.

Chinese trade and investment in the Mozambican timber industry

Chinese trade and investment in the Mozambican timber industry PDF Author: Sigrid-Marianella Stensrud Ekman
Publisher: CIFOR
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 45

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Book Description
China’s demand for timber has increased dramatically over the past 20 years; today more than 90% of Mozambican timber exports are destined for China. Demand for forest products present both opportunities and challenges for Mozambique. As the country’s sixth largest export, timber represents one of the most important industries and sources of income, yet the intensified search for resources puts pressure on the sustainable management of the forests. In an attempt to generate greater domestic value-added and employment through local processing of roundwood an export ban on first-class timber in the form of logs has been put in place. The effect of this ban on processing activity is however debatable. The share of illegal activity in the timber industry is estimated to be large. Integrating these illegal activities into the formal economy could generate significant revenues for the government in the form of taxation, as well as greater control and oversight of logging activities than what is currently possible. Through the research project titled “Chinese Trade and Investment in Africa: Assessing and Governing Trade-Offs to National Economies, Local Livelihoods and Forest Ecosystems” CIFOR wishes to gain a better understanding of the impact increased demand and investment from China have on the Miombo forests. This report forms part of the case study on Mozambique, and is intended to give an overview of the domestic value chain and the companies operating in the timber industry, based on data collected through field research on the timber activities in the province of Cabo Delgado in northern Mozambique.