A scathing report by Democratic members of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee warns that President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from global leadership is allowing China to expand its influence and challenge US supremacy worldwide.

Released on Monday, the report assesses the first six months of Trump’s second term, asserting that his administration has “significantly undermined” America’s capacity to compete with China. It points to deep staff cuts at the State Department, the dismantling of foreign aid and media arms like USAID and the U.S. Agency for Global Media, and Trump’s retreat from global alliances as key factors weakening US strategic power.

“While President Trump retreats from every corner of the world – attacking allies, slashing America’s diplomatic tools and embracing adversaries – China is building influence, expanding relationships and reshaping the global order to its advantage,” said Senator Jeanne Shaheen, a Democratic member of the committee.

The report brands China “a strategic challenge distinct from any in our nation’s history,” warning that Beijing has a deliberate, long-term strategy to unseat the United States as the world’s leading superpower.

The Democrats’ warning coincides with a new Pew Research Center poll showing a global shift in public perception in favour of China. The survey found that in 15 of 25 countries, including Mexico, South Africa, Kenya, Indonesia, and Türkiye, views of China had improved over the past year.

Although a majority still hold a negative view of China (54% median across surveyed nations), more respondents now identify China, not the IS, as the world’s top economy—41% compared to 39%.

In a striking shift among 10 high-income countries including the UK, Canada, Japan, Germany, and South Korea, US favourability has dropped from 51% in 2024 to 35% in 2025. Confidence in the U.S. president plummeted from 53% under President Biden to 22% under Trump, falling below even Chinese President Xi Jinping, who saw his approval rise from 17% to 24%.

“Trump’s trade war has fostered much deeper scepticism and distrust of the United States across Asia today,” said Ian Chong, a political science professor at the National University of Singapore. “For some, cooperation with China appears to be an attractive alternative.”

According to the report, Trump’s exit from the Paris Climate Agreement and the World Health Organization created diplomatic vacuums that China was quick to fill—boosting overseas aid, trade, and diplomatic engagement in key regions.

“China is increasingly seen as a more reliable business partner amid the uncertainty emanating from the US” said William Yang, Northeast Asia analyst at the Crisis Group. “Countries are stabilising their relationships with China by increasing high-level bilateral exchanges.”

Since Trump’s return to office, China has hosted numerous US allies, including the prime ministers of Australia, Singapore, New Zealand, and Spain, as well as India’s foreign minister and Brazil’s president.

Yang added that even countries wary of China’s security policies now view engagement with Beijing as a pragmatic necessity.

“To cope with the added uncertainties created by the Trump administration, these countries see the need to stabilise their relationship with China,” he said.

The Democratic report highlights what it calls the “chaotic gutting” of US soft power institutions under Trump. Voice of America and Radio Free Asia, both overseen by the US Agency for Global Media, have reportedly seen staffing slashed and operations scaled back.

The president’s “transactional approach” to foreign policy and emphasis on tariffs, the report warns, has not only strained economic relationships but pushed traditional allies closer to China’s orbit.

With Democrats still in the minority in both chambers of Congress, the report carries no binding authority. But it serves as a sharp rebuke of the Trump administration’s global posture—and a signal that bipartisan anxiety about China’s rise may continue to grow.

“Our ability to lead the world is not just about weapons and wealth,” Shaheen said. “It’s about presence, consistency, and trust. And under President Trump, we are forfeiting all three.”

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