Conflict tracking in Myanmar. Investigations of Chinese human trafficking. Refugee healthcare in Thailand. Strengthening independent media in Mongolia. Environmental conservation in Tibet.
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These are just a few of the Asia-focused programmes operating with US government funds that risk permanent closure after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order last week suspending all foreign aid, pending review.
Activists and aid workers across Asia and their American partners are reeling, describing the situation as “chaotic” and “nightmarish” as US officials notify groups they must obey a “stop-work” order. Uncertain about future funding, some groups have already put their employees on unpaid leave. Many more workers expect to be furloughed in the coming weeks, if not laid off.
Of the US$68 billion of foreign aid approved by Congress and committed in the 2023 fiscal year, about US$6 billion was allocated to East, South and Central Asia. In 2023, the last year for which data is fully available, top recipient countries included Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal and the Philippines, with funding supporting everything from democracy promotion to potentially life-saving treatment and shelter.
For some countries – including China – US grants can have an outsize impact in areas deemed sensitive by local governments. Some of the more sensitive projects in China focused on the rule of law and human rights development.
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Military assistance to Taiwan and the Philippines, in the form of grants and loans for equipment, services, and training, has also been halted. In 2023, the US extended US$135 million in credit to Taiwan and US$40 million to the Philippines under a State Department programme called “foreign military financing”.
Former officials and non-profit leaders called the suspension unprecedented, going far beyond typical aid reassessments in previous US administrations, and warned that despite the shutdown’s temporary nature, many programmes would be hard to bring back; some could disappear altogether.