UNV started its cooperation with Chinese government in 1981. China International Center for Economic and Technical Exchanges (CICETE) under Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation (MOFTEC) is the official counterpart of UNV/UNDP in China. Beijing International Volunteers Association (BIVA) is designated as the implementing agency for UNV program in China.

Over the past 20 years, UNV has sent over 210 international UN volunteers to China. They come from not only those developed countries such as America, Britain, Canada, France, Italy, Japan, etc., but also from other developing countries such as Philippines, Burma, Mauritius, etc. Working in wide technical areas, they have made valuable contributions in the economic and social development of China. Particularly during the early stage of Reform and Opening Up, the international UNVs played an important role in English education and improving the capacity of language teaching. With the deepening of the Reform and Opening Up and rapid development of China, English teaching has given ways to building national and institutional capacity to support human sustainable development after 1997. Untill now, there has been more than 40 International UNVs recruited under the UNV programme and other programs of UNDP and international agencies, serving in various development areas in China such as poverty alleviation, agro-technology popularization, micro-finance, environmental protection, recycled energy ultilization, women development, cultural relics protection, program management and others.