One of the things attractive about China’s aid is that much of the time it involves little changes in the receiving government’s policies. China is aiding many reactionary and corrupt countries develop. It’s going to be pretty difficult to efficiently propagandize leaders and citizens that China is trying to control them when they’re not making any strict demands like the US. Of course, the west can always cause instability instead of installing pro-US governments. They can back an idiot who can only see short term and embezzle all the funds to himself and end up getting killed and cause civil wars, or continue funding jihadists and ethnic conflicts; a war torn country that can’t take any side is better than one that side with China, and even then the US and Eruope will be the only ones who are enthusiastic about military intervention, so they can take control while China stays far from it.