Salvadoran president’s visit to enhance ties

US cannot offer the help the S.American nation needs: experts

China and El Salvador are expected to further enhance bilateral ties by expanding cooperation in economics, tourism and people-to-people exchanges during Salvadoran president’s visit from December 1-6.

The high-profile visit shows that the Central American nation realizes cooperation with China is win-win while the US, which treats the region like its backyard, cannot offer the help the nation needs, experts said.

At the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Nayib Bukele will visit China, China’s

Foreign Ministry announced on Friday. This is his first visit to China after assuming office in June and the second visit by the country’s president after it cut “diplomatic relations” with Taiwan and established formal diplomatic ties with the mainland in 2018.

During Bukele’s visit, President Xi will hold a welcome ceremony and a banquet, and the two heads of state are expected to attend the signing of bilateral cooperation documents, Geng Shuang, spokesperson of China’s Foreign Ministry, announced Friday.

Premier Li Keqiang and Li Zhanshu, chairman of the

National People’s Congress Standing Committee, will also meet with Bukele, who will visit Shanghai and Beijing.

“The six-day visit shows Bukele pins high hopes on China. The space for cooperation between the two countries is far greater than it had with the island of Taiwan,” said Liu Weidong, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences’ Institute of American Studies.

Liu said Bukele’s priorities during this visit include attracting Chinese investment and tourists to El Salvador, learning China’s development experiences and getting China’s aid.

Bukele tweeted on Thursday that he will tour Asia for “investment and cooperation for our country.”

“May God bless this tour and may we bring benefits to our country,” Bukele said.

Liu said China’s experiences in poverty alleviation, infrastructure, city management and employment can offer a useful reference for El Salvador. He said that in the future, China can open factories there, recruit local people and train workers. In terms of people-topeople exchanges, the Chinese government may offer more scholarships to help local students study in China.

While El Salvador is eyeing greater cooperation with China, its move unnerved the US which views China as a threat in the region.

Experts stressed that despite pressure from the US, El Salvador has its own judgment, which is to benefit its people.

“The US only exerts pressure, and it’s never willing to sacrifice its own benefits to help other countries. It only makes demands. Under this situation, no country will be willing to befriend the US,” said Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University’s Institute of International Relations.