Ex-USAID adviser hopes Taiwan partnership endures amid uncertainty

Washington, Feb. 27 (CNA) A former adviser to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) expressed hope on Thursday that the agency's cooperation with Taiwan would continue despite deep budget cuts under the new U.S. administration.

Francisco Bencosme, former China policy lead and senior policy adviser at USAID, said the agency has played a crucial role in strengthening Taiwan's civil emergency preparedness, particularly in disaster response and potential geopolitical crises.

However, with USAID undergoing aggressive downsizing earlier this month, its cooperation with Taiwan came to an abrupt halt, raising concerns about the future of these initiatives.

In an interview with CNA, Bencosme described USAID as "where the rubber hits the road" in U.S. foreign policy.

While diplomats discuss policies in high-level meetings, USAID experts are on the ground, working with local communities, building infrastructure, and responding to public health crises, he said.

"And that's a level of diplomacy, a level of foreign policy that is different, and in some ways all the more important," he said.

Taiwan, he noted, was one of the agency's most important partners in disaster preparedness, with unique programs focused on civil emergency resilience.

USAID has worked closely with the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency and its Taiwanese counterparts, including local governments and emergency response agencies, to train firefighters and community organizations, he said.

The mission is crucial "not only because it's important in case Taiwan has a natural disaster, but also because who knows what kind of geopolitical crisis might happen," Bencosme said.

With USAID's operations drastically reduced, its work with Taiwan has been put on hold. "I hope (the project) continues in some form or another, but we just don't know," he said.

According to official data, USAID allocated approximately US$266,000 in 2024 to strengthen Taiwan's disaster response capabilities.