Redefining Influence Under the Guise of South-South Cooperation
South-South Cooperation (SSC) was designed as a mechanism for shared economic growth, enabling developing nations to collaborate and build lasting capacity. However, under China’s strategic direction, this initiative has shifted from its charitable roots into a covert tool for global dominance. The implications of this transformation are profound, particularly when viewed through the activities of the China-FAO Trust Fund within the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Through SSC, China has weaponized development aid to embed its geopolitical and economic interests in unsuspecting nations. The narrative may boast of fostering global partnerships, but the reality reveals a calculated system designed to tether countries tightly to Beijing’s objectives.
The Role of the China-FAO Trust Fund
Since 2009, China has strategically allocated over $130 million to the FAO through its Trust Fund. These funds form the backbone of China’s SSC efforts by supporting infrastructure projects and technical assistance initiatives in developing nations. On the surface, these actions suggest goodwill. But scratch the surface, and you’ll see the actual cost. Financial aid from the Trust Fund often comes with conditions requiring recipient nations to use Chinese technology, expertise, and construction firms. These strings create a dangerous dependency, limiting countries’ ability to develop independently or diversify their partnerships.
This strategy aligns seamlessly with China’s broader Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), building a network of economic reliance that distracts from its monumental ambitions. For participating nations, dependency doesn’t end with financial obligations—it spreads into diplomacy, governance, and even sovereignty over long-term policy decisions.
Diplomacy as a Tool for Leverage
What’s most striking about China’s SSC model is the quiet yet forceful leverage it creates in international forums. Recipient nations of Chinese aid are increasingly bound—whether implicitly or explicitly—to side with Beijing during votes at the UN General Assembly, the FAO Council, and beyond. China cultivates a voting bloc capable of swaying global policymaking by building consensus among emerging economies.
The effects particularly trouble Western nations promoting transparency and democratic ideals. Beyond mere votes, the ideological influence of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is taking root. Beijing promotes its development blueprint—a model centered on centralized state power, surveillance-driven control, and infrastructure-heavy growth. These principles are antithetical to democratic values and create environments ripe for authoritarianism, where corruption and a lack of accountability flourish.
The Hidden Infrastructure Dependency
Dependency isn’t confined to diplomatic allegiances—it often becomes physical. Infrastructure projects funded through the China-FAO Trust Fund, such as major irrigation systems, logistics centers, and food distribution hubs, are frequently tied to Chinese contractors. While these projects may seem beneficial in the short term, they embed countries into supply chains and operations that are irrevocably Chinese-controlled.
This dependency leaves nations vulnerable to being held hostage by China. How can any stand against its directives when their critical food supply chains rely on Beijing’s support? Additionally, the use of Chinese drones within these projects grants Beijing access to essential infrastructure details—an under-discussed component of this strategy. From a security standpoint, this is akin to inviting adversaries to map out your vulnerabilities.
Debt traps inevitably follow. If nations fail to repay their loans for these projects, their resources or infrastructure fall into Chinese control. This methodology ensures long-term leverage, cloaked in the guise of partnership.
The FAO’s Compromise Under Qu Dongyu
You only need to look at the leadership of Qu Dongyu, a Chinese national elected as FAO Director-General in 2019, to observe this influence in action. Under his tenure, the FAO’s projects and priorities have shifted, mirroring Beijing’s geopolitical interests. Nations within Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East—vital to China’s Belt and Road Initiative—receive disproportionate funding and assistance.
Furthermore, integrating FAO initiatives with other UN agencies creates additional obfuscation. Programs funded by Chinese contributions often overlap with controversial efforts—for example, UNRWA projects allegedly linked to groups like Hamas. These overlapping initiatives mask China’s direct involvement, allowing Beijing to maintain plausible deniability while achieving desired geopolitical outcomes.
The Geopolitical Fallout
The consequences of China’s strategic maneuvering in international institutions like the FAO are vast and far-reaching.
- Sovereign Erosion: Developing nations lose control over domestic and foreign policies. What appears as a mutual partnership becomes a dependency, wherein Beijing effectively dictates outcomes.
- Security Risks: Beijing can exploit vulnerabilities by ensuring Chinese contractors control critical infrastructure. Paired with drone technology’s ability to map vast regions, recipient nations ’ national security.
- Undermining Democracy: The spread of CCP governance models limits democratic development among participating nations, replacing openness with opaque and centralized systems of state control.
These developments are not limited to silent erosion. They actively destabilize regions critical to U.S. and Western global interests. Aid diverted under FAO programs to groups linked to terrorism, such as Hamas, directly threatens peace and security.
From Influence to Survival
Perhaps the most insidious element of China’s strategy is how it shapes the loyalties of individuals and institutions. Leaders, officials, and even citizens of developing nations are conditioned to view Beijing as an unstoppable force. Aligning with China is not just seen as beneficial but as the only viable choice for survival.
These individuals become de facto agents of CCP influence, not out of genuine allegiance but of pragmatic necessity. This psychology creates loyalty born of fear rather than respect, perpetuating China’s rising dominance.
BONUS SEGMENT
The Trojan Horse of South-South Cooperation (SSC)
SSC, once a means for developing countries to build economic resilience, has become a vehicle for China’s ambitions. Under the guise of aid, Beijing leverages SSC to promote its development model and foster dependency. The China-FAO Trust Fund, established in 2009 with a pledge of over $130 million to support agricultural development in low-income nations, exemplifies this strategy.
The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) reach into global governance is calculated, not sudden or accidental. Analyzing China’s increasing influence within the United Nations reveals the CCP’s efforts to reshape multilateral organizations into instruments of its geopolitical agenda. Through strategic debts, influence-buying, and South-South Cooperation (SSC) programs, China is laying the foundation for long-term dominance over developing nations and their sovereign choices.
Someone should be looking into Beth Bechdol.
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IC FP SERIES| Red Strings of Control: Debt, Aid, and Domination [PART I]
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IC: Intelligence Community ; FP : Foreign Policy
