How USAID Cuts Hand Big Win to China

 https://www.newsweek.com/trump-usaid-cut-china-foreign-aid-political-influence-2028949

The Trump administration's recent efforts to dismantle USAID, the world's largest government foreign assistance provider, has created a void that China will be happy to fill, analysts say.

J. Brian Atwood, USAID director during the Clinton administration, told Newsweek: "China has been criticizing USAID programs for the last few years [...] Their goal was to undermine support for USAID in the U.S. and around the world. They will be delighted that the Trump administration wants to dismantle the agency and will move in quickly to replace the U.S. in many countries. This is a serious self-inflicted wound for the United States."

Roger Wicker, a Republican senator from Mississippi, told reporters last week: "I have felt for a long time that USAID is, is our way to combat the Belt and Road Initiative, which is China's effort to really gain influence around the world, including Africa and South America in the Western Hemisphere."

Francisco Bencosme, USAID China policy lead during the Biden administration, was quoted in Politico: "China is already reaching out to partners. They will fill in the void in places like Cambodia and Nepal, and those are just the places we know about."