UK paid more than £27m in aid to China last year - Telegraph
LOL. first it was the indians now it is the chinese turn.
By Miranda Prynne, News Reporter9:35AM GMT 16 Dec 2013
Britain hands over millions of pounds in aid to China despite the Communist state boasting the second biggest economy in the world, beaten only by the US.
Official figures show Britain gave Beijing £27.4million last year, enough money to pay for 1000 more nurses, according to the Daily Mail.
News of the massive payout, coming just days after China successfully landed a probe on the moon, undermines Government assurances the programme had ended after China and 15 other nations were judged ineligible for British aid.
Government officials said UK money went towards schemes to combat climate change and help boost economic growth.
But Tory MP Peter Bone called on International Development Secretary Justine Greening to explain why aid was still going to China despite ministers concluding as far back as 2010 that it was "not justifiable" to channel public funds to an economic world superpower.
Footage released of China moon landing 16 Dec 2013
China deploys 'highly efficient' rover onto Moon 15 Dec 2013
Chinese police shoot dead 14 during riot in Xinjiang 16 Dec 2013
State TV in China shows Moon landing 14 Dec 2013
Philip Sherwell: Why America lacks lunar ambition 14 Dec 2013
Mr Bone said: "The public will be rightly horrified that we are still wasting money on aid to China.
"It is extraordinary that we are doing this while they send a mission to the moon. If these aid programmes are still continuing then I think Justine Greening needs to come to Parliament and explain what the justification is, because I can't think of one."
Pauline Latham, a Tory member of the Commons international development committee, said: "When China is sending missions to the moon it is quite clear they no longer need our help."
David Cameron visited Beijing two weeks ago to seek Chinese investment to improve Britain's ailing infrastructure.
The country, which has a GDP of $8.2 trillion compared with Britain's $2.4 trillion, poured billions into its flagship space programme which saw the Jade Rabbit lunar rover successfully touch down on the lunar surface on Saturday, watched by 1.4billion Chinese on TV.
It is not the first time the Government has been criticised for sending funds to countries wealthy enough to afford space exploration projects.
India, which received £290million in 2012, last month launched a rocket to survey the surface of Mars.
Ministers have repeatedly insisted that aid money was no longer sent to China but the Department for International Development (Dfid) figures show the country received £27.4 million last year.
It was one of 16 states whose aid programme was supposedly axed following a review by Andrew Mitchell, then International Development Secretary, in 2011.
But Dfid figures reveal that 15 of the countries still received a total of £131.9million British aid last year.
Vietnam was given £51.5million, Cambodia £14.5million, Indonesia £11.3million and Kosovo £10.2million while smaller payments went to several other nations.
Only Russia's programme was abandoned.
Matthew Sinclair, chief executive of the TaxPayers Alliance, said: "Taxpayers expect UK aid to be helping people in the world's poorest nations."
A Government spokesman said it was right to continue to work with non-governmental partners on global issues such as economic growth and climate change.
Last year's aid package to China included almost £5million from the Commonwealth Development Corporation (CDC), which is owned by Dfid, and £22.5million from the Foreign Office.
A CDC spokesman said it had been "legally and contractually bound" to hand over the money as part of an ongoing investment deal.
Guess they dont take into account how much money they are making on Sino-Uk trade.
LOL. first it was the indians now it is the chinese turn.
By Miranda Prynne, News Reporter9:35AM GMT 16 Dec 2013
Britain hands over millions of pounds in aid to China despite the Communist state boasting the second biggest economy in the world, beaten only by the US.
Official figures show Britain gave Beijing £27.4million last year, enough money to pay for 1000 more nurses, according to the Daily Mail.
News of the massive payout, coming just days after China successfully landed a probe on the moon, undermines Government assurances the programme had ended after China and 15 other nations were judged ineligible for British aid.
Government officials said UK money went towards schemes to combat climate change and help boost economic growth.
But Tory MP Peter Bone called on International Development Secretary Justine Greening to explain why aid was still going to China despite ministers concluding as far back as 2010 that it was "not justifiable" to channel public funds to an economic world superpower.
Footage released of China moon landing 16 Dec 2013
China deploys 'highly efficient' rover onto Moon 15 Dec 2013
Chinese police shoot dead 14 during riot in Xinjiang 16 Dec 2013
State TV in China shows Moon landing 14 Dec 2013
Philip Sherwell: Why America lacks lunar ambition 14 Dec 2013
Mr Bone said: "The public will be rightly horrified that we are still wasting money on aid to China.
"It is extraordinary that we are doing this while they send a mission to the moon. If these aid programmes are still continuing then I think Justine Greening needs to come to Parliament and explain what the justification is, because I can't think of one."
Pauline Latham, a Tory member of the Commons international development committee, said: "When China is sending missions to the moon it is quite clear they no longer need our help."
David Cameron visited Beijing two weeks ago to seek Chinese investment to improve Britain's ailing infrastructure.
The country, which has a GDP of $8.2 trillion compared with Britain's $2.4 trillion, poured billions into its flagship space programme which saw the Jade Rabbit lunar rover successfully touch down on the lunar surface on Saturday, watched by 1.4billion Chinese on TV.
It is not the first time the Government has been criticised for sending funds to countries wealthy enough to afford space exploration projects.
India, which received £290million in 2012, last month launched a rocket to survey the surface of Mars.
Ministers have repeatedly insisted that aid money was no longer sent to China but the Department for International Development (Dfid) figures show the country received £27.4 million last year.
It was one of 16 states whose aid programme was supposedly axed following a review by Andrew Mitchell, then International Development Secretary, in 2011.
But Dfid figures reveal that 15 of the countries still received a total of £131.9million British aid last year.
Vietnam was given £51.5million, Cambodia £14.5million, Indonesia £11.3million and Kosovo £10.2million while smaller payments went to several other nations.
Only Russia's programme was abandoned.
Matthew Sinclair, chief executive of the TaxPayers Alliance, said: "Taxpayers expect UK aid to be helping people in the world's poorest nations."
A Government spokesman said it was right to continue to work with non-governmental partners on global issues such as economic growth and climate change.
Last year's aid package to China included almost £5million from the Commonwealth Development Corporation (CDC), which is owned by Dfid, and £22.5million from the Foreign Office.
A CDC spokesman said it had been "legally and contractually bound" to hand over the money as part of an ongoing investment deal.
Guess they dont take into account how much money they are making on Sino-Uk trade.
