Trump Made China Great Again

By JASON SIBERT

The administration of Donald Trump is in its final days. nnAnd for a president who talked tough about the Chinese, he certainly did much to make China more powerful in Central America. Former Trump National Security Advisor John Bolton called the autocratic regimes of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua the “Troika of Tyranny.” In addition to attacking these awful regimes with rhetoric, Bolton and the administration hit them with crippling sanctions.

The former national security advisor justified the administration’s actions with the Monroe Doctrine, started by President James Monroe. The doctrine stated that the United States would blunt the influence of foreign empires in the western hemisphere. Monroe was concerned about European empires might engage in defense buildups in our hemisphere and that the American people would respond with fear and demand a defense buildup on our part. We would have nothing but defense buildups and endless military spending, putting the civilian nature of our Constitution at risk.

What did Trump’s actions do? It brought foreign empire into our hemisphere, as the “Troika of Tyranny” and other countries started to bandwagon with the People’s Republic of China! Also, the autocratic leaders of Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua are still in power because they used American rhetoric to rally their citizens with nationalist rhetoric. The aggressive US stance has left Latin American policymakers scrambling for partners that can balance Washington’s influence — a role that China has been very willing to play. In Venezuela, sanctions have sidelined US firms, creating an ideal opening for Chinese companies to expand their influence. If the Maduro regime in Venezuela were to collapse, Beijing would be well positioned to assume a dominant role in the country’s reconstruction.

China has grown more powerful in Brazil. The country’s leader, right-wing populist Jair Bolsonaro, has tried to pull closer to the US during the Trump Administration. However, China’s influence in the country has grown, as Brazil’s trade with the US is the lowest in 11 years and 34% of Brazil’s exports go to China after Trump hit Brazil with tariffs.

Without US leadership in the region, Latin American countries tighten ties with Beijing: Chile’s president sought to make his country the region’s main interlocutor with China, and Argentina welcomed a Chinese military-run space station, which began operating in 2018. Of seven countries that shifted ties from Taiwan to Beijing during the Trump presidency, three—the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, and Panama—are in Latin America. Paraguay faces growing pressure to join them. Many Latin American countries are likely to adopt Huawei’s 5G infrastructure, despite US threats of unspecified economic consequences for those that do.

President Biden must take a different approach to the region, the one suggested by writer Oliver Stuenkel in his story “Trump Drove Latin America into China’s Arms.” He should work toward harmonious relations with the countries in the region. The less threatening our country is in Central America, the less likely leaders are going to turn to China to balance our power. The new administration should refrain from speaking of the Monroe Doctrine while keeping it in mind. Biden should make it clear that we will not intervene in Venezuela, and but he should also drop the sanctions we have on that country, as even those who oppose Maduro do not support the sanctions. Millions in the poor country are falling even further into poverty with the current pandemic. The same promise should be made to Cuba and Nicaragua because sanctions and tough talk only strengthen China’s hand in the region.

Trade with China has helped Latin America over the years and our country does not seem genuine if we discourage these commercial relations. There are portions of the Latin America/China relationship that are disturbing. Latin American countries sell parts to the Chinese technology company Huawei and then the same countries turn around and purchase value-added products from the company, as stated by Stuenkel. However, being a bully is unlikely to persuade our neighbors in the south.

One of the productive things our country could do in this relationship is return to the World Health Organization, reform the corrupt organization, and then help Central America fight COVID-19. The US could also promote human rights, protect the environment, and strengthen civil society in the region.

Chinese economic influence in the region is going to continue. However, if we can use soft power to increase our influence in the region, then the tensions in the region could wane. In turn, we could avoid more Chinese military installations in the region. This would make President Monroe proud!

Jason Sibert is the executive director of the Peace Economy Project in St. Louis, Mo. Email jasonsibert@hotmail.com.

From The Progressive Populist, January 1-15, 2021

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