China is set to expand its influence over Southeast Asia¡¯s development as the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump and other Western donors slash aid, a study by an Australian think tank said Sunday.

The region is in an ¡°uncertain moment,¡± facing cuts in official development finance from the West as well as ¡°especially punitive¡± U.S. trade tariffs, the Sydney-based Lowy Institute said.

¡°Declining Western aid risks ceding a greater role to China, though other Asian donors will also gain in importance,¡± it said.