Monday, April 28, 2025 – Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI) has published Development as Strategy: The U.S., China, and the Global South, authored by Daniel Russel, ASPI’s Vice President of International Security and Diplomacy, and Blake Berger, ASPI Consultant. The report undertakes a comprehensive assessment of the international development approaches of the U.S. and China and captures how stakeholders in Africa and Southeast Asia view U.S. and Chinese development engagement—what works, what doesn’t and what they want from external partners.

Development as Strategy draws on extensive direct dialogues between a small team of distinguished Chinese and American development experts with officials, economists, and development practitioners in both Southeast Asia and Africa. Below are key takeaways from these conversations:

1. Global South governments want investment, not rivalry: Governments across Southeast Asia and Africa are not interested in being caught up in geopolitical competition and are strategic actors shaping how they engage with both major powers. What matters to them is not being caught up in geopolitical competition or who funds roads, clinics, or fiber optic cables—but whether those investments produce long-term value.
2. China’s aid is fast and visible—but not always trusted: While Chinese-backed projects move quickly and are helping address the critical infrastructure financing gap, recipient states expressed concerns over lack of transparency, limited capacity-building, and debt risks.
3. U.S. development is valued—but unreliable: Many partners welcome U.S. engagement, institution-building, and the expansive scope of development activities but are frustrated by abrupt shifts in U.S. political direction and dedicated resources.
4. Competition between the U.S. and China has produced waste and inefficiencies: Zero-sum behavior has impacted projects and weakened outcomes.

“For the United States, its allies, and arguably China, economic stability, governance capacity and resilience in development countries are not just development priorities—they are security imperatives. When fragile states fail, the consequences ripple outward, fueling armed insurgencies, criminal networks, illicit trafficking and unchecked spread of infectious disease,” write Russel and Berger in the Development as Strategy report. “Expanding educational opportunities, reducing poverty, bolstering health and pandemic early-warning systems, and elevating government capacity are in the interests of both recipients and donors.”

The report identifies pragmatic ways to improve outcomes in developing countries, even if direct U.S.-China cooperation is unlikely. Through “structured deconfliction,” better alignment of parallel efforts, and engagement with regional institutions, Washington and Beijing can each advance their interests while delivering more effective and beneficial development results to partners.

“Even in an era of strategic rivalry, structured deconfliction and indirect alignment between major development actors are not only possible but increasingly essential to mitigating risks and supporting sustainable development,” conclude Russel and Berger.

The report is accompanied by a dedicated project website featuring expert commentaries and on-the-ground perspectives—from video interviews with African, Southeast Asian, Chinese, and American voices to an in-depth conversation with the authors—designed to elevate local insights and bolster the reach of the report’s findings.

Visit the project website and read the report here. For media inquiries or to schedule interviews with the authors, contact [email protected].