US losing ground to China due to Trump’s policies, Democrats warn

The United States is losing strategical crushed to China owed to US President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the planetary signifier and transactional attack to overseas policy, a Democrat-authored study has warned.

Surveying Trump’s archetypal six months successful office, the study warns that his tenure has “significantly undermined” Washington’s quality to vie with China.

The study highlights unit reductions astatine the US Department of State and the “chaotic gutting” of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the US Agency for Global Media – which oversees Voice of America and Radio Free Asia – arsenic moves that person weakened US powerfulness and influence.

The report, released connected Monday by Democratic members of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, describes China arsenic a “strategic situation chiseled from immoderate successful our nation’s history” with a “long-term strategy to unseat the United States arsenic the world’s starring superpower”.

“While President Trump retreats from each country of the satellite – attacking allies, slashing America’s diplomatic tools and embracing adversaries – China is gathering influence, expanding relationships and reshaping the planetary bid to its advantage,” US Senator Jeanne Shaheen said successful a statement.

According to the report, China has moved to capable the void created by Trump’s withdrawal from planetary initiatives specified arsenic the World Health Organization and the Paris Climate Agreement by boosting backing overseas and expanding its diplomatic footprint.

Trump’s tariff warfare against US commercialized partners has besides undercut “alliances and economical partnerships”, according to the report, pushing adjacent adjacent US allies successful the absorption of China.

The informing from Democrats, who clasp a number of seats successful some Congressional houses, dovetails with Tuesday’s merchandise of an sentiment survey pointing to a planetary displacement successful attitudes successful favour of China.

Attitudes towards China person improved successful 15 retired of 25 countries, including Mexico, South Africa, Turkiye, Kenya and Indonesia, compared with past year, the nonpartisan US-based Pew Research Center said.

While wide planetary cognition of China remains mostly antagonistic – with a median 54 percent of respondents reporting an unfavourable cognition – the state is present seen arsenic the world’s apical economical powerfulness with a flimsy borderline implicit the US, according to Pew.

The survey recovered that 41 percent of respondents viewed China arsenic the world’s “top economy” successful 2025, compared with 39 percent for the US.

The US and Chinese flags question successful Zhangjiakou, China, connected February 2, 2022 [Kiichiro Sato/AP]

Some of the sharpest shifts successful cognition were seen successful 10 high-income countries – Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, South Korea, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

Across this group, lone 35 percent of respondents held a favourable presumption of the US, down from 51 percent successful 2024, according to Pew, with double-digit drops successful sentiment recorded successful cardinal Asia Pacific allies South Korea, Japan and Australia.

China received a bump successful support crossed the 10 high-income countries, rising from 23 percent favourability successful 2024 to 32 percent successful 2025.

Confidence successful the US president crossed high-income countries fell from 53 percent successful 2024, erstwhile US President Joe Biden was successful office, to 22 percent pursuing Trump’s instrumentality to the White House, according to Pew.

The US president’s support standing is present somewhat little than that of Chinese President Xi Jinping, who saw a flimsy uptick successful support from 17 percent successful 2024 to 24 percent successful 2025.

Trump’s commercialized warfare has engendered “much deeper scepticism and distrust of the United States crossed Asia today”, said Ian Chong, an subordinate prof of governmental subject astatine the National University of Singapore.

“For some, practice with [China] appears to beryllium an charismatic alternative,” Chong told Al Jazeera.

“However, the deficiency of beardown responses to the US tariffs besides bespeak a world wherever economies successful the portion and beyond realise that they besides cannot bash without economical practice with the United States, nevertheless overmuch they whitethorn dislike it.”

William Yang, a elder expert for Northeast Asia astatine the Brussels-based Crisis Group deliberation tank, said China is progressively seen arsenic a much reliable concern spouse amid the uncertainty emanating from the US.

“As countries grapple with the uncertainties brought by the Trump administration, a increasing fig of them, including adjacent US allies successful the Indo-Pacific region, are seeking to stabilise their narration with China by expanding high-level bilateral exchanges,” Yang told Al Jazeera.

Leaders of a big of US allies person visited China since Trump took office, including Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, some of whom met Chinese President Xi Jinping this week successful Beijing.

Earlier this year, Xi besides received the premier ministers of Singapore, New Zealand and Spain, arsenic good arsenic the president of Brazil.

“There are inactive cardinal concerns astir definite Chinese practices, particularly successful the information sector, but successful bid to guarantee they person much bandwidth to header with the added uncertainties created by the Trump administration, these countries spot the request to stabilise their narration with China,” Yang said.

“That, successful turn, mightiness effect successful a flimsy betterment of views connected China.”