Trump’s Aid Freeze: What’s at Stake? It won’t break the #Pacific, but it will cause disruptions. In Southeast Asia, Myanmar & Cambodia face the biggest hit, with threats to governance & health programs.
Australia, Japan & the EU will need to step up
www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpre...

New analysis by @robwalk3r.bsky.social from @lowyinstitute.bsky.social IPDC: Australia's industrial policy balances openness w/ ambition. While major powers ramp up subsidies, Australia’s cautious approach supports clean energy and liberalises trade www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpre...

New from the 2024 @lowyinstitute.bsky.social Pacific Aid Map: #Pacific Island countries aren’t just aid recipients—they’re also donors, supporting one another bilaterally and through regional institutions. Read the analysis by Nasirra Ahsan and me: www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpre...

Geopolitics drives fragmentation of aid - The rise of “micro-donors” has meant that the same amount of ODF per capita is being dispersed across many more projects by many more donors 7/9

The infrastructure race poses growing debt risks - Some 60% of infrastructure financing in the Pacific is now being financed by loans 6/9

Aid securitisation hampers human development - Strategic competition has come with a larger focus on infrastructure, opening gaps in health and education priorities 5/9

Beijing’s #Pacific strategy gets smarter - China’s ODF has acquired a more targeted focus on winning influence in specific countries, involving more grants and community-level outreach 4/9

#China reclaims its position as the Pacific’s second largest bilateral donor - After a pandemic lull, Beijing has narrowly displaced the United States in ODF spending and ramped up its project commitments 3/9