China funnels its overseas aid money into political leaders’ home provinces

Schools and airports help the leaders of countries that receive cash from Beijing tighten their grip on power, a new book claims

China's financing of overseas projects has disproportionately benefited the core political supporters of incumbent presidents or prime ministers of those countries that receive the funds, according to a new book.

During the 20th century, China was mostly known as a recipient of international development finance. Its overseas development programme was modest - roughly on a par with that of Denmark. But over the course of one generation, as Beijing emerged as the world's second-largest economy, its footprint began to extend far beyond its borders - often in the form of infrastructure initiatives such as Belt and Road.