China’s global development finance poses heterogeneous risks to coastal and marine socio-ecological systems

Rapid coastal development continues to jeopardize the integrity of marine socio-ecological systems. China is now the largest bilateral creditor of overseas development finance, and there are growing concerns over the impacts of this boom in Chinese development finance on marine systems. Here, we quantify the risks of coastal development projects financed by China to marine biodiversity and coastal Indigenous communities. Ports present the greatest impact risks to marine systems, with power plants, roads, and other facilities presenting relatively high localized risks. Risks are most prominent in Africa and the Caribbean, with coastal Indigenous communities in Western Africa at greatest risk from development. All projects present some risk to threatened marine species and potential critical habitats, but few present high risks to nearby protected areas. Mitigating these risks will require more social and environmental safeguards, higher standards for host country impact assessments, and greater integration of land-sea risk mitigation and management approaches.