Trump administration plans to spend hundreds of millions to counter growing Chinese influence

The Trump administration is preparing to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on programs aimed at countering China's growing influence around the world. 

The administration notified Congress last week that it intends to spend nearly $176 million to replace outdated and undersea telecommunications cables in the Caribbean and Central America, the Associated Press reported. 

The administration has been raising concerns about China's influence in the Americas. It pushed back on Chinese ownership of ports at both ends of the Panama Canal, infrastructure projects in the region, and Chinese investment in the telecommunications sector. 

The State Department is also considering spending nearly $500 million on programs in Africa and Asia. The programs are designed to "reclaim diplomatic leverage" against China through investments in areas where the U.S. has cut foreign funding over the past two years. 

China's economic activities in the Western Hemisphere pose risks to U.S. national and economic security, an unnamed State Department official told the Associated Press.