Aid to China?

You're right Sarnia. Bad choice of words on my part. I agree that pressurising won't work. That'll teach me to post without re-reading. Maybe I should have said "influencing", that would have been better.

Alegrias1

The point of us engaging with China to support education, human rights and so on is that we are not pressuring them because its obvious that this wouldn't work; we are helping to educate their own people so that any change comes from within. Or we could just abandon all those people who need our help and say you're on your own, we don't like your government.

Oh, wait a minute.....

Your earlier post said we should pressurise China over its treatment of the Uighurs. Now you are saying it is obvious pressurising wouldn't work.

Oh I don't kid myself that our paltry £70 million would make any difference to a communist regime established over so many years. But as soon as anyone mentions foreign aid out come the "they have a space program" posts.

We support other countries through foreign aid because its the right thing to do and in the long run benefits everyone.

Unfortunately Alegrias1 China will neither accept nor allow change from within look at Hong Kong, look at how they control the internet and social media inside China’s borders.

Nice pipe dream but it’s never going to happen.

The point of us engaging with China to support education, human rights and so on is that we are not pressuring them because its obvious that this wouldn't work; we are helping to educate their own people so that any change comes from within. Or we could just abandon all those people who need our help and say you're on your own, we don't like your government.

Oh, wait a minute.....

Aid to help research in Wuhan that sometimes goes wrong ?

There is a certain irony in people like Farage jumping on the 'Stop Foreign Aid' bandwagon. Apart from the morals, ethics of helping people, to put it bluntly; if people can find decent housing, education, healthcare in their own countries then they are less likely to pay people traffickers thousands of pounds in order that they may risk their lives to cross continents and ultimately the English Channel in a dinghy, in an effort to have a bit, just a little bit, of what we all take for granted. Simplistic I know, but this is why some countries help others.

China is not going to be pressurised by anyone. As for developing democracy and human rights I doubt I will ever see that day. China isn't poor. There are more pressing issues.

GG13 - that's my point - that is not what foreign aid is. Its about developing democracy and human rights (among other things). Its not about charity, except when a country is facing an immediate threat or a particularly intractable problem.

Developing democracy etc. in countries such as China is in all our interests and going off in a huff with our money isn't going to help us at all.

Foreign aid handed directly to Governments is basically legal bribery . I am wholly against this.

Alegrias1 if the money was/is going directly to projects on the ground (schools, hospitals, farming and clean water projects) and is overseen by a credible agency I would be totally in favour.

Apologies Daisymae, I jumped on this and I was wrong to do so.

Foreign aid comes up quite a lot on this forum. There seems to be a perception that we are giving these countries money to cover expenses that they could very well cover themselves. A quick google search shows that only 10-15% of foreign aid goes on immediate humanitarian aid. The remainder is in supporting projects in recipient countries focussing on human rights, education, democracy etc. We are not giving this money because we are nice people, we are giving it because there is a benefit for the UK in promoting the development of these things in other countries.

The best way to help Uighurs in China is to get in there and pressurise the government that is oppressing them, not say to that government we'll we're off because we are morally superior to you so you can't have our money.

Then we get the argument that it gets diverted and doesn't get used properly. In some cases I have no doubt its true. Then we need better processes for the disbursement and tracking of the funds, not a withdrawal from the whole process.

If we want to be the Global Britain that our PM keeps on about, we can't withdraw from diplomacy, and that's what we are doing if we cut foreign aid.

No aid to China, or any other Country that is rich (in resources and financially).

I do have a problem with China, especially their re-education and sterilisation of Muslims I do not want money sent their in my name (i.e. UK aid)

India is another example where aid does not trickle down to the people who desperately need it. Surely it’s better to work with Charities on the ground than diplomats lining their pockets?

I think this should be applied to all Countries, give to local charities who know what is needed and where.

The UK has sent aid to India for the Covid-19 disaster which is the most awful situation (ventilators, oxygen tanks and oxygen generators)

I think that there are many parts of the world who need immediate aid. China would not seem to be one of them. It's a current topic as it being currently revised.

Oh, we haven't had this for a while. Giving all our money to those nasty countries when they have space programs you know!

Farage supports the cuts so that tells you a lot.

We don't give them money to support their regimes or build shiny new briefing rooms. We give countries foreign aid to further the aims of our own country, cutting aid is a crowd pleaser but is cutting off our nose to spite our face.

The foreign aid budget needed a serious overhaul long before Covid-19. I am perfectly happy for help to be given to those countries who desperately need it and who use it in the right way. However, there are some countries who abuse our cash or do not need it. How much have we given to alleviate the plight of the poorest people only to see that there never seems to be any improvement for them. Where does that money go? Clearly not to those who need it. We have to look at our own country at the moment. Social care is shameful and that is just one example on a long list of what the UK needs to address and it can't all be blames on Covid-19. I wouldn't give a brass farthing to China. They have not been honest about this dreadful pandemic and their take on human rights stinks.

This country also sends aid money to India (which has nuclear weapons and a space programme) and Pakistan which also has nuclear technology.