China's AI Exports Database (CAIED)
ToolPublished Oct 15, 2025
Note: An update to this tool was published in October 2025 to include information from AidData's Global Chinese Development Finance Dataset Version 3.0, which now includes activity through 2022.
With average annual commitments reaching $85 billion in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) era, China has been one of the world's largest providers of development financing. Funded entirely or partially by China's official sector institutions, Chinese technology companies deploy state-of-the-art Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools in many BRI recipient countries. The AI exports facilitated by these arrangements are expected to bolster China's growing global AI technology-supported supply chains and trade flows. These AI tools, as they become embedded in different countries' public and private systems could help China to influence global technology standards and regulations.
The China AI Exports Database (CAIED) tracks Chinese government-supported development finance projects that utilized or enabled AI technology in the Global South between 2000 and 2021. It was built using AidData's Global Chinese Development Finance Dataset (CGFD) versions 2.0 and 3.0. Using the latest data mining tools, we identified 234 projects qualified as either an AI Application or as AI Infrastructure (i.e. critical infrastructure for AI applications, or a tool that enables AI applications to be adapted in the future). Our methodology hoped to count equipment that could theoretically use AI in the future, given the uncertain timelines for China’s technology development. The CAIED also includes country governance information such as the regime type to demonstrate associations between AI technology use and governance systems.
Interact with the CAIED by browsing the map of China's development efforts and ranked table of recipient countries, below. Explore country-wise project details by selecting a country of interest below. Researchers who would like to incorporate the CAIED into their own work are invited to download the full data file.
Inflation-adjusted Funding Amounts
The figures on this page and in the downloadable data file use constant 2023 U.S. dollars.
Map of China's AI Projects
Country Ranking by Funding Amount
Chinese AI Application or AI Infrastructure Projects in
Research Partner
AidData research staff joined RAND researchers on this project as colleagues and co-authors.
AidData is an international development research lab housed at William & Mary's Global Research Institute.
Additional Data sources
- The electoral democracy index is drawn from the V-dem codebook, ranged from 0-1 from low to high: https://v-dem.net/documents/24/codebook_v13.pdf
- The regime type is based on "Regimes of the World" database: https://ourworldindata.org/regimes-of-the-world-data
- The country data law status is based on the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development: https://unctad.org/page/data-protection-and-privacy-legislation-worldwide
- The Freedom House ranking is from the "Freedom World" report: https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world
Related Content
Topics
Document Details
- Copyright: RAND Corporation
- Availability: Web-Only
- Year: 2023
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.7249/TLA2696-1
- Document Number: TL-A2696-1
Citation
RAND Style Manual
Bouey, Jennifer, Lynn Hu, Keller Scholl, William Marcellino, Stacey Yi, Rafiq Dossani, James Gazis, Ammar A. Malik, Kyra Solomon, Sheng Zhang, and Andy Shufer, China's AI Exports Database (CAIED), RAND Corporation, TL-A2696-1, 2023. As of May 5, 2026: https://www.rand.org/pubs/tools/TLA2696-1.html
Chicago Manual of Style
Bouey, Jennifer, Lynn Hu, Keller Scholl, William Marcellino, Stacey Yi, Rafiq Dossani, James Gazis, Ammar A. Malik, Kyra Solomon, Sheng Zhang, and Andy Shufer, China's AI Exports Database (CAIED). Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2023. https://www.rand.org/pubs/tools/TLA2696-1.html.
Research conducted by
The research reported here was funded by RAND-initiated research. The first version of this research project was conducted within the Acquisition and Technology Policy Program of the RAND National Security Research Division (NSRD). The 2025 update to the tool was condusted within the China Research Center, part of RAND Global and Emerging Risks.
This publication is part of the RAND tool series. RAND tools include models, databases, calculators, computer code, GIS mapping tools, practitioner guidelines, web applications, and various other toolkits and applied research products. All RAND tools undergo rigorous peer review to ensure both high data standards and appropriate methodology in keeping with RAND's commitment to quality and objectivity.
This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited; linking directly to this product page is encouraged. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial purposes. For information on reprint and reuse permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions.
RAND is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.