- Elon Musk and President Donald Trump oversaw major cuts to USAID, effectively winding down the agency as of early 2025, with officials like Ken Jackson, Marcus Thornton, and Laken Rapier conducting assessments in countries including El Salvador, Guatemala, and Kenya, sparking backlash from former USAID staff over the abrupt dismantling of global aid programs.
- China capitalized on the resulting vacuum in US foreign aid by ramping up its own initiatives to expand influence, such as providing $4.4 million for mine clearance and child literacy in Cambodia, $4 million to the Africa Centres for Disease Control, and funding in Nepal, Colombia, and Kazakhstan, aligning with Xi Jinping’s soft power strategy through high-profile “belt and road” projects.
- Unlike USAID’s emphasis on grants for health, governance, and emergencies, Chinese aid often takes the form of loans for infrastructure and energy, allowing Beijing to gain political leverage and boost its UN standing. From 2002-2021, China disbursed $150 billion in untied funds compared to the US’s $697 billion, positioning it as a more consistent donor in regions such as Africa. Read More
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