Tripartite Tango: Unravelling Determinants and Actions in Cooperative Projects

China, partner countries, and beneficiary countries together form the triangular framework of tripartite cooperation. The determinants driving these participants to engage in projects significantly influence their actions, subsequently shaping the change of transaction costs and additional benefits within tripartite cooperation projects. However, differences in project financing approaches between Chinese and traditional donors can lead to higher potential transaction costs for certain projects. Consequently, participants may respond differently: most will choose to continue and accept the potential additional transaction costs, while some opt to withdraw from projects, leading to cooperation failure or suspension. Therefore, it is crucial to investigate the determinants that influence transaction costs and benefits and to understand the rationale behind the decisions of participants who choose to remain involved in these projects. This chapter examines the determinants driving participants to engage in tripartite cooperation, as well as the actions they employ to influence these projects. Using diverse sources, including government documents, corporate records, media reports, and interview notes, the chapter provides a thorough analysis of tripartite cooperation projects. The analysis involved processing over 950 documents using NVivo software, ensuring a comprehensive examination of the determinants and strategies adopted by governments and companies.