Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook officiates the Genting East Coast Rail Link Project Tunnel excavation works ceremony in Bentong, Pahang on July 13, 2025. Beijing's development finance to the region rose by US$1.6 billion to US$4.9 billion in 2023 - mostly through big infrastructure projects such as rail links in Indonesia and Malaysia. — MUHAMAD SHAHRIL ROSLI/The Star
SYDNEY: China is set to expand its influence over South-East Asia's development as the Trump administration and other Western donors slash aid, a study by an Australian think tank said Sunday (July 20).
The region is in an "uncertain moment", facing cuts in official development finance from the West as well as "especially punitive" US trade tariffs, the Sydney-based Lowy Institute said.
