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The Trump administration is preparing to invest hundreds of millions of dollars into programs aimed at countering China's growing global influence.

According to the Associated Press, the administration notified Congress last week of plans to spend $175.8 million to replace aging undersea telecommunications cables in the Caribbean and Central America.

The U.S. administration has raised concerns regarding China's expanding influence in the Americas. It has pushed back against Chinese ownership of ports at both ends of the Panama Canal, infrastructure projects in the region, and Chinese investments in the telecommunications sector.

The U.S. Department of State is also considering spending approximately $500 million on programs in Africa and Asia.

These programs are intended to "regain diplomatic influence" against China by investing in sectors where the U.S. had cut foreign funding over the past two years.

An anonymous State Department official told the AP that China's economic activities in the Western Hemisphere pose a threat to U.S. national and economic security.

The official pointed out that while the services provided by China may appear inexpensive on the surface, they often lead to greater losses in the end due to cost overruns, hidden maintenance expenses, and poor performance.

The funding for the undersea cable project appears to be part of a broader effort to weaken China's global influence.

The AP reported that these measures come at a time when U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping have publicly expressed a spirit of cooperation, with President Xi scheduled to visit the United States this fall.

The AP reported that the State Department is also considering spending an additional $500 million on programs targeting China across the Western Hemisphere, Africa, and Asia, in addition to the undersea cable project.

An internal State Department document obtained by the AP states, "The United States must counter the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) growing economic, technological, and diplomatic influence globally, which is undermining our national interests."

U.S. NNP = Representative Reporter Hong Sung-gu / Special Correspondent to the paper NNP info@newsandpost.com