Latin America: U.S. can blame itself for Chinese incursions
WASHINGTON — Latin American diplomats say the United States has only itself to blame for retreating from the region, allowing China to move into the region and establish stronger economic and diplomatic ties in the Western Hemisphere.
The Trump administration announced late Friday it was at least temporarily pulling its ambassadors out of El Salvador and the Dominican Republic and the charge d’affaires out of Panama after the three countries broke diplomatic ties with Taiwan in an effort to get closer with China, a U.S. trade adversary. China doesn’t recognize Taiwan’s independence.
The administration describes Chinese President Xi Jinping’s signature Belt and Road Initiative, the global investment and lending program, as a debt trap fueling greater economic dependency. It has warned that the communist government would not think twice about taking Latin American shipping ports and assets, as it has before.
But leaders across Latin America largely shrug their shoulders at American warnings. They need cash for infrastructure projects. They need new roads, telecommunications equipment and energy systems. And China is willing to provide it in ways that the United States has not.
“You left some space and the other guy moved in,” a Latin American diplomat told McClatchy, speaking anonymously so he could more freely discuss the relationship with the United States and China. “The region will work first with the people who bring the money.”
The Chinese have been constructing roads, designing new embassies and building technology infrastructures from Argentina to Mexico. It has expanded its interests of Latin American oil, copper and iron and now wants to become a more equal trade and diplomatic partner.
Xi is ready to embrace Latin America as the Trump administration, carrying out its “America First” agenda, has pulled away from multilateral trade policies such as the 12nation Trans-Pacific Partnership.
But after months, if not years, of withdrawal, the United States is now turning up the pressure and pushing Latin American leaders to choose between the United States and China.
“Do you want to work with us or them,” said Michael Shifter, who as president of the Inter-American Dialogue has deep ties with many leaders across Latin America. “’We’re your preferred partner,’ they like to say.”
The diplomats are blunt. They would rather work with the United States, with whom they have a more established relationship and who has helped the region for decades on multitude of priorities, including the current Venezuela migration crisis as well as national security and counter narcotics.
But they say the United States is in retreat and U.S. companies are simply not offering the kind of investment that the Chinese are offering. And, like President Donald Trump, Latin American leaders face tight elections and constituencies who are eager to see tangible results like new roads, job growth and a growing GDP.
Two weeks ago, the Chinese government welcomed the Peruvian foreign minister with fanfare during a trade visit. Their discussions included more than 50 potential investments projects in Peru. On Monday, China signed an agreement with Costa Rica to encourage more investment and commerce.
In Panama, China is set to build a new embassy at the mouth of the Panama Canal where it’ll be seen by the hundreds of thousands of ships that pass through each year.