The Trump administration’s freeze on foreign aid could provide China with an opening to expand its global sphere of influence, some policy experts representing anticorruption, national defense, and conservative organizations told the Washington Examiner. Others, however, agree with the president’s position that waste is a problem in U.S. foreign aid worth addressing with cuts.

On his first day in office, President Donald Trump issued a 90-day freeze on all foreign aid disbursements, but a federal judge based in Washington ordered Trump last week to lift his spending halt temporarily pending review. However, with many USAID employees having been fired and many programs already having been shuttered, the flow of funds has dramatically slowed. And China stands ready to pounce, experts told the Washington Examiner.