China steps in as U.S. pulls back from diplomacy, report says

China is increasing its diplomatic reach as President Donald Trump's administration pares back America's international presence, Democrats from the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee said in a report released on Monday. The report, the result of months of staff travel and research, was released as the Trump administration makes deep cuts to the State Department, including beginning on Friday to fire more than 1,350 U.S.-based employees, part of a total reduction of nearly 3,000 people for the U.S.-based workforce. The administration has also cut billions of dollars in foreign aid, effectively shutting down the U.S. Agency for International Development, which…