The US President Donald Trump and head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Elon Musk has been directing fire at 63-year-old USAID since early February as they began their efforts to shrink the US federal government.

Thousands of USAID employees were asked to take "paid leave" under Trump administration's plan. On February 7, a US federal judge ruled to suspend the "paid leave" plan, and on February 13, the suspension was extended for another seven days.

Official data shows that in the fiscal year 2023, USAID is an agency with approximately 10,000 employees, two-thirds of whom work overseas. The agency has offices in over 60 countries and regions, with operations spanning more than 100 countries and regions across Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe. How did such an agency develop? Why does its existence spark intense debates in the US political landscape? What are the true purposes and practices of this agency that claims to focus on "humanitarian" and "development assistance"?

To answer these questions, the Global Times presents a series to outline the history, the funding chains and complex controversies behind the agency. In the first installment, by narrating the establishment process and historical role of USAID, we will analyze what purposes does it serve for the US, and how it has gradually evolved into a large entity with over 10,000 employees worldwide. In the second installment, we will uncover how USAID has used foreign aid for over half a century to carry out ideological infiltration and so-called "democratic reforms" in developing countries, thereby serving the geopolitical interests of the US.

Born for 'cold war'

According to a report updated on the website of the Congressional Research Service (CRS) for the US Congress on January 6, USAID's workforce totals more than 10,000, with approximately two-thirds of them serving overseas. The agency maintains more than 60 country and regional missions.

USAID was established by former US president John F. Kennedy in 1961 and was designed to "counter the influence of the then-Soviet Union during the Cold War and to run various foreign assistance programs," according to an NBC News report on January 5.

In the early days after the establishment of USAID, during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, the agency heavily focused on top-down macro-economic reforms and public administration in key partner countries. The US was virtually alone as a major bilateral donor, and private capital flowing to the developing world was quite little, giving Washington disproportionate influence and impact as developing countries found themselves sometimes squeezed by the harsh realities of Cold War geopolitics, said an overview of the agency published on The Foreign Service Journal in November 2021 to mark the 60th anniversary of USAID.

During the Nixon administration, the Vietnam War and the rise of US-backed military governments in Latin America led to growing public dissatisfaction with foreign aid programs. The US Congress passed the "New Directions" legislation, marking a shift in USAID's approach and somewhat countering calls for the agency's abolition.

The Reagan administration marked the next turning point - impacted by the Cold War, foreign aid budgets surged dramatically, and USAID made significant investments in health, becoming a leader in global child survival initiatives, according to The Foreign Service Journal article.

USAID encountered some turbulence in the 1990s.

John Norris, who had served in a number of senior roles in government, international institutions, and nonprofits and is the author of The Enduring Struggle: The History of the U.S. Agency for International Development and America's Uneasy Transformation of the World, said that "this decade is perhaps the most tumultuous in USAID history."

According to an article by Norris, published in 2014, which the Global Times found on the media platform Devex, after former US president Bill Clinton took office in 1993 after the end of the Cold War, both the US State Department and Congress sought to significantly reduce the USAID budget, directing more resources toward domestic affairs.

In April 1997, in part to respond to congressional critics who wanted to radically restructure or abolish USAID, the Clinton Administration proposed a foreign affairs reorganization that included absorption of the functions of the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency and the US Information Agency into the State Department. The agreement with Congress allowed USAID to remain a separate statutory agency with its own appropriation, but with the Administrator reporting to and under the direct authority and foreign policy guidance of the Secretary of State. Congress approved legislation authorizing this approach in the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998, which was signed into law on October 21, 1998, according to another CRS report updated in January 2015.

Despite this, USAID in the following years could only be described as having "barely survived," according to Norris, with its budget being cut, core functions being eliminated, and a significant number of employees being laid off.

According to the article by Norris in 2014, USAID closed more than 26 missions in countries that had either graduated from the need for aid or were simply bad partners - the first reduction in the number of countries receiving US assistance since the Marshall Plan.

Between 1995 and 2000, the agency's workforce shrank by 29 percent, with the number of directly hired employees being only half of what it was 20 years earlier, and at least one-third of the remaining employees at nearing retirement age. It was also during this time that USAID began to outsource a significant amount of its work.

By the early Bush administration, USAID was still reeling from the struggles of the previous decade. The aftermath of the September 11 attacks brought a surge of resources and personnel, along with complex missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. These missions often reminded the public of the experiences in Vietnam. As former USAID official James Kunder was quoted as saying in the CRS report in 2021, "The hard lesson from both Afghanistan and Iraq was that development programs are not a good substitute for an effective diplomatic and military strategy."
Every 3/5 dollars of foreign aid was distributed through USAID

The US claims itself the world's largest donor of foreign aid. So how much does it actually spend on foreign aid?

According to data from the US government's official foreign aid statistics website, cited by the Pew Research Center in a report on January 6, the US government disbursed a total of $71.9 billion in foreign aid in the fiscal year 2023, which accounts for 1.2 percent of the total federal expenditure that year ($6.1 trillion).

In fiscal year 2023, USAID distributed nearly $43.8 billion in aid, about three of every five foreign-assistance dollars, according to the Pew Research Center.

In terms of aid sectors, the aforementioned $71.9 billion was primarily spent on "economic development" (27 percent of the total), "health" (22.3 percent), "humanitarian aid" (21.7 percent), and "peace and security" (14.2 percent). However, the Pew Research Center also states, "the categories can be somewhat opaque and the lines between them blurry." For example, of the approximately $15.9 billion allocated for "macroeconomic foundation for growth," $14.4 billion was direct monetary support to the Ukrainian government amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

What do Americans think about their country's foreign aid? According to the Pew Research Center, opinions among Americans regarding the effectiveness and desirability of foreign aid have been "split" for a long time.

In an online survey in March 2023, only one-third of 11,004 American respondents said that US foreign aid "mostly benefits developing countries," while slightly more (37 percent) indicated that such aid "is both beneficial and harmful to these countries," and 8 percent stated that it "mainly harms developing countries."

A 2024 poll conducted by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs also showed that half of 2,106 Americans support reducing the amount of foreign economic and military aid, with more than half favoring prioritizing domestic issues.

A pie in the sky

The split attitude of the American public is not without reason. "USAID's legacy is complex, deserving of neither hagiography nor damnation as is too often the case," read the abovementioned CRS overview article on USAID in 2021.

Diplomacy, development, and defense (3Ds), represented by the Department of State, the USAID, and Department of Defense, are the "three pillars" of the US national security strategy. Since its establishment, USAID has been the principal US agency to extend assistance to developing nations and those countries recovering from disaster, trying to escape poverty, and engaging in democratic reforms.

When US Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered an immediate suspension of the vast majority of USAID's existing foreign aid programs at the end of January, some officials from international charitable organizations expressed serious dissatisfaction. Daryl Grisgraber, humanitarian policy lead for Oxfam America, said the change was likely to be drastic. "It really will have potentially life or death consequences for millions of people," he was quoted as saying in an AFP report in early February.

However, at the same time, USAID faces allegations of corruption and waste domestically. The White House, on February 5, published a list of USAID projects, which it said were evidence of "waste and abuse," including a grant of $1.5m to an LGBTQ group in Serbia, $2.5m for electric vehicles in Vietnam, and $6m for tourism in Egypt.

"For decades, the USAID has been unaccountable to taxpayers as it funnels massive sums of money to the ridiculous - and, in many cases, malicious - pet projects of entrenched bureaucrats, with next-to-no oversight," the White House said.

USAID is also faced with skepticism and disappointment among recipient countries as many of its aid commitments have ultimately proven to be nothing more than "empty promises."

A typical example is USAID's assistance to Africa. In June 2013, then US president Barack Obama announced the ambitious "Power Africa" initiative during his visit to South Africa, promising to invest funds to generate 20,000 megawatts of electricity in Africa by 2020. USAID became the primary US implementer of this initiative.

However, as of the end of 2020, the actual power generation capacity under "Power Africa" was only "4,194 megawatts," less than one-quarter of what the initiative had promised, showed the Power Africa 2020 Annual Report released by USAID.

In the Middle East, USAID's assistance to Afghanistan has been extensive but often controversial and lacking in follow-through. The USAID-funded Partnership Contracts for Health (PCH) program that ran from July 2008 to June 2015, for instance, faced much criticism and scrutiny due to its quality-related issues. In January 2016, a review letter from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction to USAID said that, "not all [the health facilities being built under the program] had access to electricity and running water."

After the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the US pledged to provide substantial aid, including the "flagship projects" by USAID that encompassed the Caracol industrial park, along with a power plant and a new port. However, construction of the highly anticipated port was repeatedly delayed, "due in part to a lack of USAID expertise in port planning in Haiti," and, furthermore, "the industrial park was underdelivered," reported The Guardian in an October 2019 article titled "Haiti and the failed promise of US aid."

USAID has done similar "pie in the sky" talks globally.

USAID has openly admitted that about 80 percent of its expenditures was in the US.

Its 2022 progress report revealed that, only about 10.2 percent of all eligible funding was directed to local organizations. Moreover, a March 2023 investigation report released by UK-based group "Publish What You Fund" indicated that USAID employed a very loose definition of what constitutes a "local" actor. When applying a stricter definition, this figure might drop to a concerning 5.7 percent, according to the report.

Severe waste, profit repatriation, lack of transparency, broken promises… US foreign aid agencies like USAID have long faced criticism globally. "There was never any pretense of altruism," the Economist surmised about USAID in May 2023.

Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said on Tuesday that 10 Hong Kong residents were still held captive in Southeast Asian countries, and HKSAR authorities will carry out thorough investigations and make every effort to secure their rescue.

Lee said before attending the Executive Council meeting that the HKSAR government is deeply committed to addressing cases of Hong Kong residents who are suspected of being lured to Southeast Asian countries, detained, and deprived of their freedom, with the city’s Security Bureau task force working tirelessly to rescue the victims.

Lee said that among the 28 Hong Kong residents imprisoned in Southeast Asian countries, 16 were rescued before the Security Bureau increased its efforts. An additional two individuals have been rescued since, leaving 10 Hong Kong residents still detained, according to RTHK, one of Hong Kong’s major broadcasters.

According to Lee, the HKSAR authorities will address the situation through four main measures: conducting thorough investigations, enforcing the law, enhancing cooperation with organizations and countries, and jointly combating related crimes to rescue victims.

Lee said on January 14 that the Security Bureau dispatched a task force to Thailand to collaborate with relevant authorities on joint investigations and assistance for Hong Kong residents reportedly detained in Southeast Asia under illegal circumstances. A total of 28 requests for help from residents believed to have been trapped in Southeast Asian countries and unable to leave since the second quarter of 2024.

After the successful rescue of Chinese actor Wang Xing from Myawaddy, rampant criminal activities along the Thailand-Myanmar border have drawn great attention worldwide. A wave of similar cases has emerged, revealing the plight of many trapped individuals and prompting their families to jointly plead for help.

On Chinese social media, there is a growing call for a thorough crackdown on telecom fraud. What are the challenges in eradicating scams in Myawaddy? What misconceptions are circulating in public discourse? The Global Times spoke with scholars, escapees from scam operations, grassroots rescue organizers, and insiders from border control and law enforcement to untangle the intricate web of crimes.

Why is there still telecom fraud in eastern Myanmar?

Myawaddy, located near the Thai border, is just a 10-minute drive from Mae Sot Airport in Thailand. Mae Sot lies at Thailand's westernmost border, facing Myawaddy across the Moei River, also known as the Thaungyin River in Myanmar. Over a decade ago, as Myanmar pursued reforms, Myawaddy emerged as a key border crossing and trade hub. However, in recent years, the river has become a route for human trafficking, smuggling, and scams.

A PhD holder surnamed Zhang, who was successfully rescued after being trapped for a year in a scam center in Myawaddy, described to the Global Times that the facility was a "formidable prison." It was surrounded by towering walls about four to five meters high, topped with a tangle of barbed wire and watchtowers every few hundred meters from where armed soldiers stood guard, whose vigilant eyes kept scanning for any signs of escape.

Jian Kunyi, deputy dean of the School of Law and Political Science at the Yunnan University of Finance and Economics, told the Global Times that the 2021 coup in Myanmar exacerbated conflicts among various factions, leading some ethnic armed groups to collaborate with criminal organizations to fund their resistance against the government. Myawaddy, once a symbol of openness, then became a hub for organized crimes.

The root of the problem lies in the region's unstable political climate, which has created a "crime sinkhole," said Jian. "Ethnic armed groups need continuous funding to sustain their military efforts against the Myanmar government. As long as this demand exists, organized crimes will find their 'protectors.'"

Since March 2023, Chinese police have collaborated with their counterparts in Myanmar and Thailand to combat these crimes, yielding significant results. By March 2024, over 800 Chinese nationals involved in gambling and fraud were repatriated from Thailand. Following the Wang Xing incident, authorities uncovered a human trafficking ring operating out of Myawaddy.

Despite intensified joint law enforcement efforts and anti-fraud campaigns, the flow of capital and personnel across the Thai-Myanmar border has become increasingly frequent and covert. The Global Times has learned from multiple sources that new criminal gangs from northern Myanmar and other Southeast Asian countries have been relocated to this border area, while existing groups from Myawaddy have relocated to northern Myanmar and even Dubai. Victims from around the world continue to disappear into the shadows of Mae Sot.

Hu Qidao, a Chinese vlogger on Chinese social media platform Douyin, launched a rescue team in Thailand, assisting those being trafficked to fraud camps to escape from July 2023 to March 2024. He sometimes intercepted the vehicles being used for human trafficking at the Thailand-Myanmar border after receiving signals. He recounted to the Global Times that with pressure from joint law enforcement, he often witnessed buses leaving the Mae Sot border checkpoint, likely transferring individuals en masse from Myawaddy to other regions.

The families of three individuals still trapped in fraud camps in Myawaddy told the Global Times that these fraud groups continue to expand. Some scam centers require newcomers, who have been lured in, to sign contracts. If they wish to leave before the contract expires, the only option is to pay back all the travel expenses the center incurred to bring them on board, with the ransom amount varying by center. Sometimes, the centers even take the opportunity to extort money and then directly "blacklist" family members.

Why has Thailand become a "transit point" for telecom fraud in Eastern Myanmar? Jian believes that first, Thailand's relative political stability and thriving tourism industry facilitate international movement, making it a safe transfer for fraud organizations. Second, the geographical proximity of Mae Sot to Myawaddy allows for easy cross-border transport.

Is it possible to cut off communication networks?

In recent years, Chinese authorities have implemented measures such as "cutting off networks" and "disabling SIM cards" against these crime syndicates to combat telecom fraud. Such efforts have made it increasingly difficult for these crime syndicates to acquire the necessary materials required to facilitate their operations. Thailand also attempted to disrupt power supplies to Myawaddy's fraud camps in 2024.

However, Bao Zhipeng, an assistant researcher at the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times that many fraud camps in Myawaddy have resorted to using small fuel generators and even "Starlink" devices to evade these crackdowns.

In China, mobile phone SIM cards must be registered under real names, yet unregistered or falsely registered cards still circulate in the market. Some users sell their registered cards, while criminals use stolen identities to register new ones. Illegal vendors collect these unregistered numbers and sell them to fraud groups. Behind the telecom fraud gangs is a clandestine and complex gray industrial chain involving accounts used for illegal transaction scams.
Should scam groups be marked as terrorists?

Some legal experts and social media influencers have called for the classification of telecom fraud organizations as "terrorist groups" to enhance cooperation in eradicating these crimes. Jian argues that, according to China's Counterterrorism Law, terrorist organizations are defined by their "political, ideological, or other purposes." But organizations involved in telecom fraud primarily seek to obtain economic benefits and therefore do not qualify as terrorist organizations. Instead, they are classified as transnational criminal syndicates.

However, Jian cautioned that modern terrorist organizations are increasingly seeking to transform and may collaborate with other criminal entities for economic gain. The unique aspect of Myanmar's fraud organizations is their backing by local military forces. If these groups pursue political objectives through crime, they could potentially evolve into a new form of modern terrorism.

Jian emphasized that China and Southeast Asian nations share a common destiny and that using force against transnational crime is a collective struggle. This approach requires building mutual trust among nations to effectively combat fraud organizations and their supporters.

Currently, joint efforts between China, Myanmar, and Thailand to tackle transnational telecom fraud primarily involve collaborative law enforcement. Chinese police conduct preliminary investigations and gather evidence, while local authorities apprehend suspects and hand over Chinese nationals for further interrogation and prosecution. This approach meets international standards of police cooperation, Bao said.

The challenges of combating telecom fraud in eastern Myanmar are multifaceted, requiring not only robust law enforcement, but also a nuanced understanding of the socio-political dynamics. As the fight continues, the need for international cooperation and innovative strategies has never been more critical, said the scholar.

What can we do in next step?

Insiders from the Ministry of Public Security and the border inspection station in Ruili, a city in Yunnan Province bordering northern Myanmar, revealed a startling truth. According to their investigations into the trajectories and communication records, the majority of individuals reported missing and presumably lured into Myanmar to perpetrate fraud crimes fell prey to enticing yet fraudulent job advertisements such as "just needing to type," promising "high salaries overseas." With dreams of finding work opportunities in Southeast Asia, many ended up being trafficked and sold into exploitative environments.

Interestingly, a significant number of these individuals were aware before their departure that they would be engaging in "black and gray industries," such as smuggling goods. However, their families remained unaware of the true nature of their journeys. "A few of them 'rescued' by us would voluntarily return to another scam group soon after," an insider from the ministry disclosed.

Hu recounted a particularly alarming case in which a desperate family member claimed that his relative had been tricked into a trafficking center and asked for help. However, after an investigation, Hu discovered that the allegedly "trapped relative" was actually a supervisor of a scam park.

A source from the Ruili border inspection station further explained to the Global Times that, following the epidemic, nearly all possible crossing points along the China-Myanmar border have been fortified with barbed wire and other physical barriers. Once near the border, there are numerous conspicuous anti-fraud banners and thorough checkpoints, "making it exceedingly difficult for someone to cross the border without any knowledge of the risks involved." However, due to the interconnected villages, mountain paths, and waterways in the border region, criminal gangs continuously devise covert routes to evade law enforcement, the source said.

Hu expressed the harsh reality of grassroots rescue operations, noting a staggering failure rate of up to 80 percent. "We understand the longing of families to reunite with their beloved ones, but from our perspective, for every person we rescue, another may fall victim. Only through the concerted cooperation between countries and the enhancement of anti-fraud awareness among the general public can we truly help eliminate the profit chains of human trafficking and telecom fraud."

In Jian's view, the future of China's anti-fraud system could establish two circles of defense - one online and one offline. The online circle would center around digital intelligence, assisting the public in identifying fraud, while the offline circle would focus on combating transnational organized crime through regional cooperation among countries. By encircling the criminal zones within a collaborative network, the flow of telecom fraud would naturally diminish once it loses its online and offline mobility, he said.

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, visited a food market in Shenyang, capital city of northeast China's Liaoning Province, on Thursday morning.

During his inspection tour in Liaoning, Xi visited Dadong non-staple food market to learn about the supplies for the upcoming Spring Festival.

At the market, children were delighted to see Xi and eagerly offered him the candy they just bought.

"I'm glad to accept your candy. You are the hope for our future. Eating your candy fills my heart with sweetness, and I hope your lives will be as sweet as candy," Xi said.

The Spring Festival, which falls on Jan. 29 this year, is the most important traditional holiday in China and an occasion for family reunions.

The latest video clip taken on-site has shown that Chinese law enforcement vessels thwarted Philippine sides' attempt to illegally board China's reef in the South China Sea.

Philippine vessels 3003 and 3004 entered the waters near the Tiexian Jiao (Tiexian Reef) of the Nansha Islands without the permission of the Chinese government on Friday. The vessels attempted to illegally land on the reef and conduct sand sampling. China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels lawfully obstructed the Philippine ships' course and warned them away, CCG spokesperson Liu Dejun said Friday. 

The following day, on Saturday, the CCG released the on-site evidence of this counteraction. The video shows that the Philippine vessel 3003 attempted to pass in front of the CCG vessel 4106, seriously disrupting the normal navigation operations of the CCG vessel. 

The Philippine vessel 3004 attempted to obstruct the CCG vessel 4106 in a dangerous manner and even tried to ram the vessel 4106 with its bow. The provocative actions of the Philippine side severely threatened the navigation safety of the CCG ship.

In response to the Philippine side's provocative attempt to illegally land on the reef by deploying a small boat, the CCG vessel also deployed an enforcement vessel to carry out targeted interception and control, thwarting the Philippine side's plot.

Liu said on Friday that China holds indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Islands, including Tiexian Jiao, and the surrounding waters. The CCG will continue to carry out law enforcement activities to protect rights in waters under China's jurisdiction, firmly safeguard the country's territorial sovereignty and maritime interests.

Militia personnel in Nanyang, Central China’s Henan Province and Songzi, Central China’s Hubei Province recently carried out emergency response exercises on putting out forest fire, China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Monday.

The report footage showed that equipment such as firefighting vehicles and drones were deployed in the exercise.

The exercises focused on the characteristics of forest fires, preventive measures, the principles of fire extinguishing, and the operation of various fire extinguishing equipment. The training aimed to ensure that the militia personnel can proficiently master the various skills necessary for forest fire extinguishing and enhance their emergency rescue capabilities, according to CCTV.

Xi says China supports European integration and EU strategic autonomy

China will actively support Sri Lanka in focusing on economic development and the two countries should jointly foster new highlights in high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, as well as cooperation in modern agriculture, digital economy and marine economy, Chinese President Xi Jinping said Wednesday, Xinhua News Agency reported.

China's efforts in further deepening reform comprehensively to advance Chinese modernization will bring new opportunities for Sri Lanka's development, Xi said when holding talks with Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who is in China for a state visit.

Noting that China and Sri Lanka enjoy a traditional friendship, Xi said bilateral relations have maintained healthy and stable development over the past 68 years, setting an example of friendly coexistence and mutually beneficial cooperation between different countries.

With joint efforts, China and Sri Lanka have continuously promoted strategic cooperative partnership featuring mutual assistance and ever-lasting friendship. High-quality Belt and Road cooperation and cooperation in various fields have achieved fruitful results, bringing tangible benefits to the two peoples, Xi said.

The two countries should have a keen grasp of bilateral relations from a strategic perspective and jointly build a China-Sri Lanka community with a shared future, he said.

Dissanayake kicked off a four-day state visit to China on Tuesday, according to Sri Lanka local media Sunday Times. This marks the leader's first visit to China after taking office. 

China and Sri Lanka have long been each other's friend and close neighbor. Since our two countries established diplomatic ties in 1957, the bilateral relationship has stood the test of the changing international landscape, always maintained sound and steady growth, and set up a fine example of friendly relations and mutually beneficial cooperation between countries different in size, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun briefed on January 10. 

China stands ready to work with Sri Lanka through the upcoming visit to carry forward our time-honored friendship, deepen political mutual trust, and expand high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and practical cooperation in various fields for continuous new progress in advancing the China-Sri Lanka strategic cooperative partnership featuring sincerity, mutual support and ever-lasting friendship as well as more benefit for the two peoples, the spokesperson also said. 

'New heights' for ties

Luo Zhaohui, Director of the China International Development Cooperation Agency, and  Vijitha Herath, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism of Sri Lanka, signed on Wednesday several cooperation documents, including intergovernmental economic and technical cooperation agreement, and MoU on strengthening cooperation in social and livelihood development.

Sri Lankan president's visit will undoubtedly further promote bilateral exchanges and policy coordination between China and Sri Lanka, laying a crucial foundation for future cooperation and the high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Long Xingchun, a professor from the School of International Relations at Sichuan International Studies University, told the Global Times.

After his election victory last year, Dissanayake's visit to China is his second foreign trip and his first visit to China. This visit can be seen as a continuation and deepening of the cooperation results achieved by previous governments, aiming to further elevate the China-Sri Lanka partnership to new heights, Qian Feng, director of the research department at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University, told the Global Times.

Sri Lanka was one of the first countries to join the BRI, and the cooperation in infrastructure has greatly enhanced Sri Lanka's domestic infrastructure in the country, Qian said.

Sri Lanka is an important BRI partner country. Over the past decade, China has undertaken landmark projects in Sri Lanka, including Colombo Port City, Hambantota Port, highways, power plants and water conservancy infrastructure. These projects have significantly improved Sri Lanka's infrastructure, laying a solid foundation for its economic development.

Dissanayake took office when Sri Lanka faced grave economic difficulties. Tasks such as addressing external challenges, economic development, job creation and increasing fiscal revenue cannot be accomplished without cooperation with China as a major power. Therefore, cooperation under the BRI has become an increasingly important engine for the development of bilateral relations, injecting much-needed momentum for the South Asian country, Long said. 

China's growing influence in South Asian and Indian Ocean countries such as Sri Lanka is an inevitable outcome of global economic development and globalization. As sovereign nations, countries in South Asia need to develop diplomatic relations with various countries, including China, India, Japan and the US. The rise of China's influence in the region is a natural result of nations in the region expanding their relationships, Long noted.

Inevitable development

Indian news outlet Firstpost in a lengthy article published on Wednesday wrote that "amid the growing Chinese influence in Sri Lanka, India has emerged as a strong counterbalance."  The Indian media's report accused that China's "aggressive economic tactics" will bring "critical implications for Sri Lanka's sovereignty and the stability of the broader region." 

Experts pointed out that India's wariness of China's presence in the Indian Ocean primarily stems from New Delhi's narrow geopolitical perspective where India views South Asia as its own sphere of influence and does not respect other countries' rights to develop friendly and cooperative relations with China. 

In an era of globalization, cooperation between South Asian and Indian Ocean countries and China is inevitable and beneficial to India as well. If India cannot move beyond its narrow geopolitical thinking, it will be difficult to advance the development of South Asia, Long said. 

"Sri Lanka and China have close economic, diplomatic and cultural exchanges," said Ruwan Ranasinghe, deputy minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism of Sri Lanka in a recent interview with Xinhua, stressing that high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and major projects between the two countries such as the Colombo Port City and Hambantota Port have provided important impetus for Sri Lanka's economic recovery and showcased a strong junction between the two sides." 

On Monday, Deng Li, the newly appointed Chinese Ambassador to France and Monaco, arrived in Paris, along with his wife Zhang Hua. Upon their arrival, officials from the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, as well as key officials from the Chinese Embassy in France, greeted them at the airport, according to a release from the Chinese Embassy in France.

According to information from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Deng, who was born in 1965, previously served as vice foreign minister.

Lu Shaye, the former ambassador to France and Monaco, said at a forum in December 2024 that he was about to conclude his term as Ambassador to France and return to China, according to China News Service. Lu served as Chinese ambassador to France and Monaco since 2019.

President Xi Jinping has ordered all-out rescue efforts to save lives and minimize casualties following a 6.8-magnitude earthquake that took a heavy toll after jolting a county in Southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region Tuesday morning.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, ordered utmost efforts to treat the injured. He also urged efforts to prevent secondary disasters, properly resettle affected residents, and handle the aftermath work effectively, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

It is essential to strengthen earthquake monitoring and early warning, promptly allocate emergency rescue supplies, expedite the repair of damaged infrastructure, ensure the basic needs of residents are met, and guarantee a safe and warm winter for all, Xi said.

A total of 126 people have been confirmed dead and 188 others injured as of 7 pm Tuesday, after a 6.8-magnitude earthquake jolted Dingri County in the city of Xigaze in Southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region at 9:05 am Tuesday (Beijing Time), Xinhua reported.

There are 27 villages and approximately 6,900 people within a 20-km radius of the epicenter. Official data shows that Dingri County has a population of over 61,000, according to a press conference held by local government of Xigaze, which began with a moment of silence for the victims.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday expressed his condolences to President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping over the earthquake that struck China's Xizang Autonomous Region. 

Please, accept most sincere condolences on the tragic aftermath of the earthquake in the Xizang Autonomous Region of China. Russia shares the grief of those who lost their families and close ones in this disaster and hopes for a speedy recovery of the injured, read a statement on Kremlin's official website. 

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif wrote on X "I extend my heartfelt condolences to President Xi Jinping and the brotherly people of China for the loss of precious lives in the devastating earthquake in Xizang, China. The entire Pakistani nation is deeply saddened by the tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families, and all those affected. Pakistan stands in solidarity with the people of China during this difficult time." 

Rescue efforts pouring in

More than 3,400 rescuers and over 340 medical workers have been sent to the quake-hit area, according to a press conference on the earthquake.

The earthquake emergency response in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region has been raised to level I, the highest level, the region's emergency command center announced Tuesday. 

China's national commission for disaster prevention, reduction and relief, along with the Ministry of Emergency Management, provided over 130,000 relief supplies to the disaster-stricken area in Southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, including heaters, electric blankets, and emergency food, to ensure the basic living needs of the affected population are met. Earlier on Tuesday, the two departments had allocated 22,000 pieces of national disaster relief supplies to the area, according to CCTV News.

The military has also launched swift operations. The Global Times learned from the Xizang Military Command's Xigaze Military Sub-command that rescue teams have been mobilized to head toward the epicenter. Videos from the scene show significant damage to the roads leading to the epicenter, and buildings along the route showing varying levels of damage. The sub-command is rapidly deploying personnel to the affected area to participate in rescue efforts.

As of 11:25 am Tuesday, a regiment of 160 personnel from the sub-command has reached Jijiao Bridge in Dinggye county, while a company of 40 personnel has been dispatched to areas near Dingri Airport.

The Global Times also learned from the Xizang Military Command that at 1:00 pm, the General Hospital affiliated to the Command dispatched 50 medical personnel to the earthquake-stricken area in Xigaze. 

By 1:15 pm, the second batch of rescue forces from the Xigaze Military Sub-command, totaling over 680 personnel, had been deployed to three directions - Dingri, Lazi, and Sa'gya - to assist in the rescue efforts in nearby towns and villages, working tirelessly to protect people's lives and property. 

Video footage from the scene showed a regiment from the Xigaze Military Sub-command rescuing a child from the rubble and providing emergency medical assistance.

The Global Times learned from the Chinese People's Armed Police (PAP) Force Xizang Contingent that following the earthquake, they responded swiftly and urgently. As of 12:30 pm on Tuesday, 389 officers and soldiers had been dispatched, carrying with them various rescue equipment. They rushed to the severely affected areas to participate in rescue operations. Videos from the scene show that they have successfully rescued multiple individuals from the collapsed buildings. Currently, the rescue efforts are still ongoing.

The air force of the PLA Western Theater Command quickly activated its emergency disaster relief plan and dispatched a drone to assess the situation at the epicenter. At the same time, multiple transport aircraft, medical planes, helicopters, and ground forces from the Western Theater Command Air Force have been assembled and are on standby, according to Xinhua.

The air force of the PLA Western Theater Command dispatched a Y-20 aircraft sending the forward command post of the Western Theater Command to the disaster-stricken area in Dingri. The aircraft arrived at Xigaze Dingri airport at around 5 pm, CCTV reported.  

The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Emergency Management said they allocated 100 million yuan ($13.9 million) to support disaster relief efforts in Xizang. The National Development and Reform Commission also allocated 100 million yuan to support post-disaster emergency recovery, Xinhua reported.

Xu Xiwei, deputy director of the Institute of Geology at the China Earthquake Administration, told the Global Times rescue efforts in the plateau region face unique challenges, including low oxygen levels and altitude sickness. The quake-stricken areas are also in urgent need of insulated tents to protect local residents from the harsh plateau climate after their homes collapsed or became dangerous to reside.   

According to the China Earthquake Networks Center, a total of 150 aftershocks had been recorded by 6pm on Monday. This includes 131 aftershocks below magnitude 3.0 and 19 aftershocks of magnitude 3.0 or higher. The largest aftershock recorded so far was magnitude 4.4, located approximately 18 kilometers from the epicenter of the main earthquake.