The
U.S. and Chinese flags are seen on the day of a bilateral meeting
between the U.S. and China, in Geneva, Switzerland, May 11, 2025.
KEYSTONE/EDA/Martial Trezzini/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
China steps in as US pulls back from diplomacy, report says
July 14, 2025
WASHINGTON,
July 14 (Reuters) - China is increasing its diplomatic reach as
President Donald Trump's administration pares back America's
international presence, Democrats from the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations
Committee said in a report released on Monday.
The
report, the result of months of staff travel and research, was released
as the Trump administration makes deep cuts to the State Department,
including beginning on Friday to fire more than 1,350 U.S.-based employees, part of a total reduction of nearly 3,000 people for the U.S.-based workforce.
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The administration has also cut billions of dollars in foreign aid, effectively shutting down
the U.S. Agency for International Development, which funded the
majority of U.S. humanitarian and development assistance worldwide. That
led to the firing of thousands of its employees and contractors and the
slashing of more than 80% of its programs.
Critics said the cuts would undermine Washington's ability to defend and promote U.S. interests abroad. Research published
in The Lancet medical journal said the cuts to USAID and its
dismantling could result in more than 14 million additional deaths by
2030.
"Within
days of the Trump administration taking office and starting to roll
back our commitments around the world, China was already labeling the
United States an unreliable partner," Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the top
committee Democrat, told reporters on a conference call about the
report.
"At a time when we're retreating, they are expanding their footprint," she said.
The
Trump administration says its changes help align foreign policy with
Trump's "America First" agenda, and are part of a push to shrink the
federal bureaucracy and cut what Trump officials say has been wasteful
spending.
Trump has said the U.S. pays disproportionately for foreign aid and he wants other countries to shoulder more of the burden.
The
Democrats' 91-page report listed ways, from broadcasting to health
programs and development efforts, that committee researchers said China
is expanding its influence.
It
lists dozens of cases in which the committee researchers found that
China had stepped in as the U.S. eliminated or cut back international
programs, from funding vaccines and providing food to infrastructure
development.
For
example, in Africa, as the U.S. terminated food assistance programs,
China in March donated $2 million in rice to Uganda. In May, after the
U.S. terminated a $37 million HIV/AIDS grant in Zambia, China said it
would help the African nation fight HIV/AIDS, including by donating
500,000 rapid HIV testing kits and planning more meetings to discuss its
continued partnership on the issue.
In
Southeast Asia, Chinese President Xi Jinping embarked on a tour to meet
with leaders in Vietnam, Cambodia and Malaysia, the report said. The
trip yielded an agreement in Vietnam for railroad connections, 37
cooperation agreements in Cambodia in sectors including energy,
education and infrastructure and technical and manufacturing exchanges
in Malaysia.
And
in Latin America, China in May hosted the "China-Latin American and the
Caribbean Forum" and announced it would provide a $9 billion credit
line and additional infrastructure investments for the region.
Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Don Durfee and Ros Russell