Narrative
Full Description
Project narrative
On December 12, 2017, a Chinese-funded Luban workshop opened at Ponorogo Vocational School. The workshop has a focus on robotics and automation. About 2,700 students have graduated from programs offered by the workshop as of December 2022. This Luban Workshop was the focus of a July 10, 2023 Washington Post investigation into Luban Workshops globally.
Staff comments
1. Luban Workshop (鲁班工坊) is a technical assistance program started by Tianjin's Vocational Institute in BRI countries. While it is an important Chinese foreign policy objective, the workshop is not funded through a specific fund or a government entity. Instead, it is heavily dependent on each project. While the Chinese government may directly fund some projects, Chinese SOEs or the specific vocational schools in Tianjin may fund others. As a result, AidData assumes an unspecified Chinese government agency has funded the project. For more information, please consult: https://www.tj.gov.cn/zwgk/szfwj/tjsrmzfbgt/202005/t20200519_2370529.html?itid=lk_inline_enhanced-template and http://www.moe.gov.cn/jyb_xwfb/s5147/202112/t20211202_584025.html