Columbia International Affairs Online: Working Papers

CIAO DATE: 05/2013

Enter the Dragon and the Elephant: China's and India's Participation in Global Health Governance

Yanzhong Huang

April 2013

Council on Foreign Relations

Abstract

Yanzhong Huang examines China's and India's participation in three dimensions of global health governance (GHG): health-related foreign assistance, the development and implementation of global health rules, and the ideational foundations of their participation. Overall, both countries are increasingly active in participating in GHG, but they not only fail to shoulder significantly more responsibilities in GHG but also fail to offer a viable, sustainable alternative to the existing governance paradigm. Future directions and effectiveness of their participation will ultimately be determined by the dynamics of the ongoing global power shift and the two countries' ability to address domestic health challenges.