WASHINGTON – In a strategic move, President Donald Trump has extended invitations to Latin American leaders for a summit scheduled in Florida next month. This gathering aims to address the administration’s rising concerns over China’s influence in the region.
Details of the March 7 summit were confirmed on Thursday by a White House official, who spoke under the condition of anonymity as the official announcement is still pending. This meeting will precede Trump’s anticipated visit to Beijing for discussions with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The Trump administration is prioritizing its influence in the Western Hemisphere, challenging China’s longstanding presence established through significant financial investments and extensive trade relationships.
In a bold move last month, the U.S. orchestrated a military operation to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, bringing him and his spouse to New York to face federal drug conspiracy charges.
Trump has justified these actions and his subsequent efforts to oversee Venezuela’s oil industry by highlighting the potential threats posed by Chinese and Russian involvement in the nation.
“One key point to understand is that if we hadn’t acted, China or Russia would have,” Trump stated during a meeting with oil industry leaders at the White House, shortly after Maduro’s apprehension.
China is the largest purchaser of Venezuelan oil, though the purchases only account for a small fraction of Beijing’s overall seaborne imports.
Trump has also threatened to seize control of the Panama Canal, saying the waterway was “vital to our country” and falsely claiming, “it’s being operated by China.”
The Panama Canal — a crucial trade passage that links the Atlantic and Pacific – was built by the U.S. in the early 20th century. It was then operated by the U.S. for decades before Washington handed full control of the canal to Panama in 1999. Panama’s high court recently annulled Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison’s contract to operate two ports on the canal.
Trump thrust Panama into the spotlight even before winning a second term in the White House, suggesting the U.S. consider retaking control of the canal and accusing Panama of ceding influence to China.
The Trump administration this week also expressed concern over China’s control over critical infrastructure in Peru after a Peruvian court ruling restricted a local regulator’s oversight of Chinese-built deepwater port Chancay.
The U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs said on social media on Wednesday that it was concerned that “Peru could be powerless to oversee Chancay, one of its largest ports, which is under the jurisdiction of predatory Chinese owners.”
The department said: “We support Peru’s sovereign right to oversee critical infrastructure in its own territory. Let this be a cautionary tale for the region and the world: cheap Chinese money costs sovereignty.”
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