The developing world, or Global South, is sometimes called the “underdeveloped world” on account of studies that demonstrate that Europe and the USA deliberately transferred wealth from Africa, South America, Asia, and elsewhere around the world to the USA and Europe, in the form of slaves, raw materials, gold, silver, and surplus labor. These poor imperial and neo-imperial regions of the world were deliberately prevented from developing.
Even under the IMF and World Bank, studies have shown that neo-liberal policies, often forced on poor countries, were used to keep these nations from developing; hence the term “underdeveloped,” which was coined in the book title “How Europe Underdeveloped Africa” by African author Walter Rodney, who was eventually assassinated in Guyana in 1980.
As for the USA and its control over the IMF and World Bank, African writer Kwame Nkrumah wrote that “Foremost among the neo-colonialists is the United States”. On this topic, Thomas Sankara gave a speech entitled “A United Front Against Debt” on July 29th 1987. Sankara famously said that “Debt is a cleverly managed reconquest of Africa”. He was assassinated three months later on October 15th, 1987. The term “Neo-colonialism” was used by thinkers in the underdeveloped world to denote the use of unfair loans as a tool of financial conquest of Africa and of the rest of the poor world, by, primarily, the United States of America, but also of Europe and Japan as well.
Enter China. China, under Mao Zedong, at a time when China was as poor as most African nations, built the TAZARA Railway from Zambia to Tanzania. Money, logistics, and Chinese labor were provided to build the railway with an interest-free loan of 988 million yuan. It began operations in 1976 and was immediately handed over to the local African authorities. It is still in operation today.
Where the Euro-American imperial powers sought only to build enough rail to extract resources, China built infrastructure to uplift others in the developed world. This help from a Global South country to other Global South countries is sometimes called South-South cooperation. In the 20th century, especially under the presidency of Xi Jinping, we’ve seen the rise of China’s economy to superpower status, although China only maintains a single military base on foreign soil. By comparison, the USA has hundreds of bases all over the world. With China’s economic rise, so too rose China’s support of China for the underdeveloped world.
Chinese loans and aid, by contrast, tend to be concessional, meaning having very low interest, are interest-free, and have no strings attached. China has never seized control of a single investment project anywhere in the world. China has also forgiven massive amounts of debt with no punitive measures whatsoever. Moreover, China builds an enormous number of projects, schools, hospitals, roads, and universities for FREE. And I mean a lot of projects.
Experts on ending poverty outlined six pillars which are needed for sustained economic development: agriculture, health, education, infrastructure, business development, and environmental conservation. Let’s examine how China is developing health among its international friends in the underdeveloped world. In the following content, we’ll look at some hospitals that China built for free in the developing world.
China handed over the Bobo-Dioulasso University Hospital Center to Burkina Faso at a ceremony with Captain Ibrahim Traoré, President of Burkina Faso. It is a major hospital with 500 beds and is one of the largest Chinese-aided hospitals ever built in Africa.
In 2025, China completed and handed over the China-aided China-Africa Joint Medical Center expansion at the China-Guinea Friendship Hospital, which was also originally built by China with aid and grants.
In 2024, China handed over the China-aided Maseru Regional Hospital and Ophthalmology Clinic to Lesotho. It’s a massive 23,900 square meter hospital. In 2024, China handed over the Sindhupalchowk / Chautara Hospital to Nepal, after rebuilding it following a major earthquake. The reconstruction was entirely paid for by grants from China.
The Cambodia-China Friendship Preah Kossamak Hospital, built with aid from China, was inaugurated on March 21, 2022. In 2024, China handed a fully grant-funded expansion of Mahosot General Hospital to the government of Laos, doubling the hospital’s treatment capacity. In 2020, China handed over the Wanica Regional Hospital to Suriname. Built with grants from China, the hospital is a massive 180-bed hospital, the largest of its kind in Suriname. The Mahusekwa Hospital, also known as China-Zimbabwe Friendship Hospital, was built with grants from China.
Mahusekwa Hospital Project Phase I was built by China and handed over to the Zimbabwean government in 2012. Phase II opened in 2019 with a total area of 5,220 square meters. Gagnoa Hospital was built by China with grants for Côte d’Ivoire and opened in 2013. Anse Royale Hospital was built by China for Seychelles and opened in 2013. China built the China-Sierra Leone Friendship Hospital, opening in 2011. China built the Tappita Hospital for Liberia, opening in 2011. China built the Parakou Hospital for Benin, opening in 2011. China built the Masaka Hospital for Rwanda, opening in 2011. China built the Omuthiya General Hospital for Namibia, opening in 2011. China built the China-Ghana Friendship Hospital for Ghana, opening in 2010. China built the China-Mauritania Friendship Hospital for Mauritania in 2010. China built the Lomé Commune Regional Hospital for Togo in 2010. China built the Bamako – Hôpital du Mali for Mali in 2010. China built the Military General Hospital for Guinea-Bissau in 2010. China built the Civil Service Hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal, opening in 2008. China built the B.P. Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital for Nepal.
The list goes on, and on, and on. They were ALL built with grants from the Chinese government. Paid for by China. Not loans, gifts. This is just a summary of some of the hospitals, clinics, and related facilities. China is providing the one thing that underdeveloped nations need most: development. No strings attached. No interference in their internal political or economic affairs. China isn’t pulling up the ladder, as is said by those in neo-colonial countries. China is making ladders and passing them out. So that other countries can develop, like China has.
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