Germany plans to stop foreign aid to China

Germany plans to cut off millions of euros in foreign aid to emerging economic giant China, the new development minister Dirk Niebel told daily Bild on Friday.

The controversial first move by Niebel, who was appointed despite having been a vocal critic of foreign development aid in the past, has angered opposition politicians.

Niebel indicated India was also in the government's sights for aid cuts. He said Germany, which spends more on development aid than any country apart from the United States, could find better uses for the money.

"Battling poverty is more important than ever for Germany. That means we should place our resources where they can help the most," he told the paper. "Economic giants like China and India no longer fulfil these criteria."

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Can't see this as being controversial, why give aid to states which already have Nuclear Weapons?

The irony, economic aid to a country that has one of the biggest armed forces in the world!!

No complaints about the German government doing that. Didn't realise they were getting aid in the first place and I must say it surprises me. They are not exactly like Ethiopia who really needs aid.

China has loaned America billions of dollars. Why would she need aid from Germany? As pointed out, she has nuclear weapons and so does India. in my view, anyone who can afford to have nuclear weapons don't require aid from anyone.

Germany gives aid to the USA in the form of men and arms in Afghanistan, so why not China?

Well for instance its more than just ironic that Germany gives developing aid to a country which willingly harms Germany's economy by not acting on the mass copying of german trademark protected goods (For good reason as it is of course more than beneficial to their economy).
Not to mention its aggressive industrial espionage or even its economical income which makes the claim that China is still dependent on money aid completely rediculous.
The BND ranks China as number one on its foreign industrial espionage report. Beside Russia by the way.
By now it even warns companies to keep an close eye on chinese student apprentices seeking trainee positions in german companies. A huge portion of them seems to be sent here by chinese companies or even official agencies with orders to "learn" more than just job related things.

In our lifetimes, China will be the worlds most powerful country, economically and militarily.
Aid in Billions would be pointless and stupid.
I do understand people's reservations as Cina is a growing power.
However.
It is tens of millions of Euros.
That money can be used to create dialogue, links between the two countries, helping German-Chinese relations and helping to foster understanding of each others cultures.
That is worth 67 million Euro and is a bargain at that.
In the long term this is a good idea, beacuse sooner or later, it will not be the USA calling the shots, it will be China.

@ berlinski, you always make good comments. I think African countries like Ethiopia or Malawi need that money more..infact people ´ll be suprised how much Kenya needs it. About 3.8million Kenyans are currently starving due to drought. Although african countries don´t need "aid" anymore, they rather need "trade" we don´t have 2.7trillion euros like China so why give aid to China?? I´m surprised as well.

Send your manufacturing plants to China and put a Walmart in every city and China will end up owning you, just as has happend in the US.

China needs money? Who in the government figured this out.

There are more than one billion people are growing hungry everyday and I wonder how many of them are in China or India?
I suppose nukes, space programmes and copyright issues could feed those hungry people?

'The most recent figures available show that Germany gave China €67.5 million in 2007 and India €84 million in 2008.'
These amounts are actually peanuts. The aid was more symbolic and targeted. Any discontinuation, right after a new government assumed office, might send a hostile signal to China. Can Germany afford to go without a working relation with China, when countries like USA can't?

Why does the nation with the biggest army, population and cash-reserves on the planet need aid in the first place.
But, as things have it, aid given to China flows back to Germany angain in form of projects such as Transrapid Railway and others.
Now as times have changed and Germany amongst all the other nations is a bit strapped for cash, the buck(or the Euro!)schould stop here.
And that should coun't for all the other countries receiving generous aid as well.
Instead, aid should be given only to the neediest nations and in those cases in serious measures and amounts.
Navy Ships to Israel - for free ?!?!? Get real !!! Cheeky bastards, the cow is running dry !