Can China fill US-sized void in Pacific after Trump’s foreign aid freeze?

China could boost involvement through economic and climate adaptation projects to help Pacific nations meet development needs, analysts say

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An aerial view of Bikar Atoll in the Marshall Islands, the central Pacific. Photo: National Geographic Pristine Seas / AFP

Published: 8:00am, 9 Feb 2025

China is expected to fill the void that’s been left behind by US President Donald Trump’s halt on foreign aid in the Pacific region, with Beijing set to grow its influence in economic and climate adaptation projects in particular.

Trump signed an executive order on his first day in office putting a 90-day pause on funding from the US Agency for International Development, or USAID, suspending more than US$60 billion in programmes for the world’s most vulnerable nations.

On Tuesday, the administration placed direct-hire employees of USAID – except those deemed essential – on leave worldwide, upending the aid agency’s six-decade mission overseas.

The measures are part of a string of cuts Trump has enacted through coordination with Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency, which argues USAID is a waste of money amid a need to align with the president’s policy priorities.

Agency staff, backed by Democratic lawmakers, have protested against the cuts saying they will put lives in danger and hamper national security.

People protest against a funding freeze of federal grants and loans in Washington on January 28. Photo: AP

In the Pacific – one of the most aid-dependent regions in the world – help programmes ranging from governance to women’s economic empowerment were likely to be affected, BenarNews reported, adding that several USAID partners in the region were trying to evaluate the potential impact of the freeze on their schemes.