The growing influence of China in Latin America and the Caribbean was the reason this Tuesday for the head of Costa Rica’s Foreign Trade portfolio to call on Washington to focus on greater exchange with its neighbors.
“I believe that the United States has to look more towards the region because when one neglects or leaves an empty chair another occupies it, that is why we have seen a greater Chinese influence in the region, a greater participation in the regional economies,” he said. this Tuesday at voice of america Manuel Tovar Rivera, Minister of Foreign Trade of Costa Rica.
Tovar, visiting the US capital, explained that the alert is focused on the fact that the US must understand that its “security” and well-being are linked to the Latin American economies.
At the end of April, the administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Samantha Power, explained before the Senate in Washington that the priorities of US cooperation are focused on containing the influence of China and Russia advancing in Latin America and the world.
The official in charge of the US cooperation portfolio explained to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee the scope of the strategic work of the US to lead efforts to contain the influence of the Eurasian powers, mainly those led by the Russian Vladimir Putin and the Chinese Xi Jinping.
“If we do not lead efforts to meet the challenges, the PRC and Putin stand ready to intervene, either through opaque loans on unfavorable terms, or with mercenaries,” Power said.
For his part, Tovar said that his country’s relations and exchanges with the Asian giant have not yielded the expected results.
Regarding the US, the senior Costa Rican official praised the cooperation with his country. “Recently we have received cooperation on cybersecurity,” he concluded.
[Con información de Iacopo Luci, periodista de la VOA, desde Washington]
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