China’s attractiveness in the Global South (CAGS)

To what extent – and how – do China’s own domestic development experiences shape its international cooperation? And how do partner countries in the Global South evaluate the transfer of so-called “Chinese solutions”? CAGS explores these questions through research in China, Brazil, Indonesia and South Africa, bringing together Chinese studies and political science to generate insights for policymakers and the wider public.

Project Lead:
Sebastian Haug

Professor Sabrina Habich-Sobiegalla

Project Team:

Roland Zeidler (Associate Researcher)

Financing:
German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR)

Time frame:
2026 - 2029 / ongoing

Co-operation Partner:

The project is jointly led by Dr Sebastian Haug at IDOS and Professor Sabrina Habich-Sobiegalla at Freie Universität Berlin. It is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR), which has allocated a total of €500,000 over a three-year period.

Project description

The project China’s attractiveness in the Global South (CAGS) explores the intersection between China’s domestic development processes and its global role. On the one hand, it examines how China incorporates its own domestic development experiences into its international cooperation. On the other, it investigates how strategically important partner countries perceive and evaluate these experiences – often referred to as “Chinese Solutions” – and their cooperation with China. Alongside the development of a database, the project focuses on fieldwork in Brazil, Indonesia and South Africa. Drawing on an interdisciplinary approach that brings together sinology and political science, CAGS also places a strong emphasis on knowledge transfer, sharing research findings with policymakers and the wider public, including younger audiences.

Publications