‘A very poor development aid application’. That is the opinion of the experts with whom the newspaper Telegraph called about a grant to the Premiere League. It is one of the richest football leagues in the world, with a value of billions. Nevertheless, he receives a handsome amount annually through the British Council for Development Aid for training coaches and referees in 25 Chinese cities. The program is called Key Skills.

“Premier Skills has brought hope, inspiration and skills to over a million young people and it has also enhanced the soft power of Great Britain,” the British Council defended. ‘This program enhances trust and relations between China and the UK.’

Not a poverty stricken country

Based on Devex, a news site specializing in development assistance, the amounts are 48,000 euros in 2021-2022, 59,000 euros this accounting year, and nearly 99,000 euros next year, respectively. However, the UK agency has announced that it will reduce ‘development assistance’ to China. First of all, China is not a poverty-stricken country where humanitarian needs are urgent, such as South Sudan or Yemen. And since the repression in Hong Kong, geopolitical tensions between Beijing and London have also increased.

Rishi Sunak’s conservative government has long been criticized for its budgetary choices. For example, experts fear that cutting development aid will lead to thousands of avoidable deaths. The budget for development aid shrank from 0.7 per cent of UK GDP to 0.5 per cent. More recently, London has also loaned out the pot’s money to itself, to fund the reception of asylum seekers.

According to an internal document from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, say the ministry in charge of foreign policy and development cooperation, ‘thousands of people in acute humanitarian assistance will suffer the consequences of cuts’.