China Increases Southeast Asia Development Spend

China is leading the development race in Southeast Asia as traditional donors like the United States and United Kingdom step away from the region.

Farmers seen tilling muddy rice fields by hand during monsoon season. Farmers in the north work the land during the rice planting season as monsoon rains mark the start of the agricultural cycle. In Loei and the Karen village of Mae Wan, locals prepare the fields and plant young rice shoots by hand. (Photo by Ploy Phutpheng / SOPA Images/Sipa USA) Source: SIPA USA / Ploy Phutpheng / SOPA Images/Ploy Phutpheng / SOPA Images/Sipa USA

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China Increases Southeast Asia Development Spend

SBS Indonesian

05:08Indonesian

The regional superpower favouring market-rate loans for infrastructure projects, with rail ventures in Indonesia and Malaysia accounting for most of the annual increase.

Meanwhile the US cutting its aid spend by more than 80 per cent this year, and the UK planning to redirect billions in foreign assistance towards its defence budget.

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