This dataset tracks 123 seaport projects worth $29.9 billion officially financed by China to construct or expand 78 ports in 46 low-income and middle-income countries from 2000-2021.
AidData. 2023. China's Official Seaport Finance Dataset, 2000-2021. Retrieved from www.aiddata.org/data/chinas-official-seaport-finance-dataset-2000-2021.
Date Published
This dataset consists of 123 seaport projects officially financed by China to construct or expand 78 ports in 46 low-income and middle-income countries. Thirteen Chinese lenders and donors provided USD $29.9 billion in loans and grants for these projects between 2000 and 2021, and 30 Chinese companies and 42 non-Chinese companies were responsible for implementing the projects between 2000 and 2023. Detailed records, including financial terms and conditions and extensive project implementation information, are provided for each port. This dataset also contains GeoJSONs of the geographic boundaries of the ports, latitude-longitude coordinates of port locations, and a precision marker to indicate whether the geolocation is precise or approximate. While this dataset does not encompass ports funded through strictly private sector investment (FDI) from China, it does include entities that are state-owned or majority-state-owned. An accompanying report, Harboring Global Ambitions: China’s Ports Footprint and Implications for Future Overseas Naval Bases, uses this dataset to assess China's options for establishing additional overseas naval bases.
Explore our accompanying map of China's global port investments ↗
