"Chinese state firms dominate Pacific infrastructure contracts", Lowy Institute, 28 Jul 2026

Preliminary Pacific Aid Map analysis [...] suggests that Chinese SOEs have been involved in more than $5.1 billion worth of Pacific infrastructure projects since 2008. Around $3 billion of this was financed directly by China, with the remaining share split between the ADB and World Bank. [...].

Notably, although infrastructure projects directly financed by China have been lower this decade compared to last, Chinese SOEs have won a greater volume of MDB contracts, thereby maintaining their significant on-the-ground presence across the region.

World Bank procurement data tells a similar story. Chinese SOEs were awarded 33 infrastructure contracts between 2016 and 2025, [...]. These contracts were worth $379 million in total, [...] reflecting the concentration of larger infrastructure projects among Chinese SOEs.