Who trades with whom not up to US to decide

Since its inception in 1994, the Summit of the Americas has been a venue for the United States and Latin American nations to sort out intra-America concerns, most noticeably US-Latin America trade. And “fair and reciprocal trade” is expected to command the limelight at the Friday-Saturday gathering in Lima, Peru. Yet a parallel priority on the US delegation’s agenda, according to the White House, is to “push back against external economic aggression”.

It did not bother to elaborate. But no elaboration is needed. As former US secretary of state Rex Tillerson made it crystal clear on his first, also last, official visit to the region in February, Washington is worried about the growing Chinese economic presence in what it still considers to be its backyard.

It remains to be seen whether or not US Vice-President Mike Pence will be as blunt as Republican Senator Marco Rubio would like, and declare Chinese involvement in the area as “unacceptable”. But chances are he will use both carrots and stick to tell Latin American leaders his country, not China, should be their “partner of choice”.

While Washington’s recent fixation with China’s growing presence in global trade is more or less understandable considering the increasing China-related competition, its idea to dictate other countries’ choosing of trading partners is outrageously inconsistent with its call for trade with those nations to be “fair and reciprocal”. Trade can’t be fair if they can’t even decide with whom to do business.

China, which will be attending the summit as an observer for the first time, is the biggest or second-biggest trade partner for a majority of Latin American countries. Trade ties are fair, reciprocal and free of bullying. All parties in such relations appear satisfied with what they see as mutually beneficial trade.

Rather than any Chinese attempt to undermine US influence in its own backyard, it is Washington’s own sense of insecurity that may end up isolating the US in its immediate neighborhood.