US Southern Command chief warned against China’s expansion into South America

the general Laura Richardsonhead of the United States Southern Commandnoted that China “extends its influence” In South America and the Caribbean, as well as “manipulate” their governments through “predatory investment practices”. This was warned last week during his presentation before the local House of Representatives.

As he explained in his presentation, Richardson asserted that the Asian giant’s government “continues to expand its economic, diplomatic, technological, informational and military in Latin America and the Caribbean”.

China “has the capacity and intentionto “promote your kind of authoritarianism and accumulating power and influence at the expense of those democracies,” the head of U.S. Southern Command told the Armed Services Committee during a hearing on security challenges in the Americas.

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Richardson, as specified by the agency AFPHe also said China “has expanded its ability to extract resources, establish ports, manipulate governments through predatory investment practices, and build potential dual-use space facilities.”

The general also mentioned the countryside on which the Asian giant operates in the region and told members of Congress that Latin American leaders “desperate their savings“, after having suffered the full brunt of the onslaught of the pandemic and, as they generally remain in power for only one term, they are in a hurry.

“When there is nothing else available, there is no Western or international investment and there are no bidders in the tenders that go out, when there are big critical infrastructure projects and there are only Chinese bidders…they have no choice,” Richardson told Congress. last Wednesday.

“Russia – an acute threat – reinforces authoritarian regimes in Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela and continues its vast disinformation campaign,” added the general, noting in this regard: “These activities undermine democracies and call into question our credibility.”

Richardson criticized the effects of the Belt and Road Initiative, also known as the New Silk Road, a global infrastructure development strategy launched by Beijing. At a time when Latin American countries are “trying to get out of the hole”, China appears with billions of dollars available for large projects which “seem to be investments but everything is in critical infrastructure”, he said. -he says.

“Amazingly in space, the telecommunications and deep water ports. You must be wondering why,” the general quipped.

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As he pointed out, the two Russia as China “exploit the presence of transnational criminal organizations and amplify their destabilizing impact on democratic governments”.

Richardson, regarding the southern cone, also noted that the so-called “lithium triangle” accumulates “60% of the world’s lithium”. “Argentina, Bolivia and Chile have it and (our adversaries) are taking the resources of these countries and their peoples, who are trying to produce, of these democracies who are trying to contribute to their peoples,” he said. he explained, according to the agency. Merco Press.

In this sense, he added: “When you talk to the American ambassadors in Chile and Argentina and with the companies that are there, the aggressiveness of China and the racing game that they have with lithium is very advanced and very aggressive”.

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