One China expert told Newsweek that the USAID funding freeze had handed an "enormous gift" to Beijing's push to influence the Global South. Meanwhile, one Kremlin propagandist has said on Russian television that Moscow could exploit the gap left by USAID and project geopolitical power with a similar program.

The Trump administration’s moves to dismantle USAID has stoked fears that America will lose its standing on the world stage as rival powers fill the void.