Pompeo's "nonsensical" remarks on China won't alienate Latin America

Note: The following article is taken from the Chinese-language "Commentaries on International Affairs".

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has accused China of financing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government and helping "precipitate and prolong" the country's crisis. He made the comment during his recent four-nation trip to Latin America, which is aimed at coordinating those countries' positions on Venezuela, including the possibility of imposing more sanctions or even intervention by force. Pompeo said China had been carrying out, what he calls, "financial intervention" in Venezuela's affairs, and such "financial interventions have helped destroy" Venezuela.

China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang on Monday, April 15, 2019, rejected U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's remarks that Beijing is partly to be blamed for the volatile political situation in Venezuela, saying Washington's attempt to slander Beijing's relationship with Latin America is "irresponsible" and "nonsensical." [Photo: CGTN]

Pompeo's remarks come as nothing new. His predecessor Rex Tillerson once accused China of using its economic influence to win over Latin America, warning that these countries may have to pay the price if such a trend continues.

The "Cold War" thinking and the alienative tones reflect U.S. anxiety over its declining influence in a region which Washington perceives as its "backyard" and dissatisfaction and suspicion over China-Latin America cooperation.

For a long time, the United States has been regarding Latin America as a testing ground for its hegemonism and power politics, exporting U.S. economic and social values. If any of them shows any sign of disobedience, Washington blatantly interferes, creating chaos or overthrowing the government in that country.

The most typical example is that the United States directly sent troops to Panama in the late 1980s and took away the then head of state, Manuel Noriega. In addition, the United States further controls the economic lifeline of Latin American countries by promoting neo-liberal economic policies, which has made Latin American countries increasingly dependent on external funds and technologies, and even deeply trapped in crisis. For this reason, Argentine scholars refer to the decade of neoliberalism as the "lost decade," which Brazilian scholars see as a trap created by the U.S.

Up till today, the United States still treats Latin America as its backyard, tending to order those nations around at will. However, in the meantime, Washington does not welcome immigrants from Latin American countries. It's not only building a wall on the US-Mexico border, but also is threatening to send troops to stop the "caravan immigration" from Honduras and reduce aid to the Caribbean countries, criticizing those countries' incapability of border control. What's more, the United States has been advocating the idea of "America First", encouraging US companies to reduce their investment in the Latin American market. Given all these factors, it's highly unlikely that Washington would provide Latin American countries with the support they need for development.

In comparison, China along with Latin American and Caribbean countries have neither historical resentment, nor modern conflicts between each other. In fact, they are economically complementary. Therefore, mutual understanding and support can be reached in the process of exploring their own development paths. Thus, strategic mutual trust is continuously enhanced, and mutually beneficial cooperation deepened. Trade volume between China and Latin America has exceeded 300 billion US dollars, and China has become the largest trading partner of a number of Latin American countries including Chile, Peru and Brazil. Belt and Road cooperation, which is carried out based on the principle of achieving shared growth through discussion and collaboration, is becoming a new platform for achieving a mutually beneficial, win-win situation between China and Latin America.

China's investment is creating a "development pie" rather than a "debt trap" for Latin America. Pompeo's attempt to deliberately discredit China has drawn criticism from both China and Latin American countries. China's ambassador to Chile, Xu Bu, said "Pompeo has lost his mind and gone too far." Chile's interior minister, Andrés Chadwick, rejected the warning from Washington's top diplomat, saying that Chile doesn't need such warnings from the United States.

In fact, Latin American countries have witnessed the development achievements China has made over the past 40 years as well as Beijing's efforts in strengthening bilateral relations. Chinese President Xi Jinping's multiple visits to Latin America in recent years have significantly enhanced the strategic mutual trust and further consolidated the foundation for mutually beneficial cooperation. As China is pushing forward further reforms and opening up, the opportunities it can offer won't be missed by Latin American nations, who make development their top priority. As such, remarks with the Cold War mentality may create sensation for a time, but they cannot stop cooperation between China and its Latin American partners.