China could soon surpass the United States to become the world’s biggest aid donor in the developing world, according to US-based researchers. Between 2000 and 2014, China gave almost US$354.4 billion in aid and other forms of support to 140 countries, according to a research published on Wednesday by AidData, a US-based project that tracks flows of development assistance. The US spent a corresponding US$394.6 billion in the same period. China’s aid strategy contradicts the Western approach, but is arguably more effective in achieving development goals, according to the Diplomat.