Malawi

===Foreign relations===
{{Main|Foreign relations of Malawi}}
Former President [[Hastings Banda]] established a [[pro-Western]] [[foreign policy]] that continued into early 2011. It included good diplomatic relationships with many Western countries. The transition from a one-party state to a multi-party democracy strengthened Malawian ties with the United States. Significant numbers of students from Malawi travel to the US for schooling, and the US has active branches of the [[Peace Corps]], the [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]], the [[United States Department of Health and Human Services|Department of Health and Human Services]] and the [[United States Agency for International Development|Agency for International Development]] in Malawi. Malawi maintained close [[Malawi–South Africa relations|relations with South Africa]] throughout the [[Apartheid in South Africa|Apartheid]] era, which strained Malawi's relationships with other African countries. Following the collapse of apartheid in 1994, diplomatic relationships were made and maintained into 2011 between Malawi and all other African countries. In 2010, however, Malawi's relationship with Mozambique became strained, partially due to disputes over the use of the Zambezi River and an inter-country electrical grid.<ref name="StateDept" /> In 2007, Malawi established diplomatic ties with China, and Chinese investment in the country has continued to increase since then, despite concerns regarding the treatment of workers by Chinese companies and competition of Chinese business with local companies.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2011/may/07/china-puts-mark-malawi-presence|title= China puts its mark on Malawi|date=7 May 2011|author=Ngozo, Claire|access-date=20 July 2011|newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref> In 2011, relations between Malawi and the United Kingdom were damaged when a document was released in which the British ambassador to Malawi criticised President Mutharika. Mutharika expelled the ambassador from Malawi, and in July 2011, the UK announced that it was suspending all budgetary aid because of Mutharika's lack of response to criticisms of his government and economic mismanagement.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://blogs.forbes.com/mfonobongnsehe/2011/07/17/u-k-stops-budgetary-aid-to-malawi/|title=U.K. Stops Budgetary Aid To Malawi|date= 17 July 2011|access-date=20 July 2011|last=Nsehe|first=Mfonobong|magazine=Forbes}}</ref> On 26 July 2011, the United States followed suit, freezing a US$350&nbsp;million grant, citing concerns regarding the government's suppression and intimidation of demonstrators and civic groups, as well as restriction of the press and police violence.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/27/world/africa/27malawi.html|title=U.S. Freezes Grant to Malawi Over Handling of Protests|date=26 July 2011| access-date=27 July 2011|newspaper=The New York Times|last=Dugger|first=Celia W.}}</ref>
[[File:Diplomatic missions of Malawi.png|thumb|right|upright=1.2|Locations of Malawian diplomatic embassies or high commissions {{As of|2012|lc=y}}]]

Malawi has been seen as a haven for refugees from other African countries, including Mozambique and [[Rwanda]], since 1985. These influxes of refugees have placed a strain on the Malawian economy but have also drawn significant inflows of aid from other countries. Donors to Malawi include the United States, Canada, Germany, Iceland, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Ireland, the UK and Flanders (Belgium), as well as international institutions such as the [[World Bank]], the [[International Monetary Fund]], the [[European Union]], the [[African Development Bank]] and UN organizations.

Malawi is a member of several international organizations including the [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]], the UN and some of its child agencies, the IMF, the World Bank, the [[African Union]] and the [[World Health Organization]]. Malawi tends to view economic and political stability in southern Africa as a necessity and advocates peaceful solutions through negotiation. The country was the first in southern Africa to receive [[peacekeeping]] training under the [[African Contingency Operations Training and Assistance|African Crisis Response Initiative]].<ref name="StateDept" />