US must shore up democracy in Latin America to counter China’s influence in region, Senate hears
- Witnesses before Foreign Relations subcommittee also call for improving health sector and bridging digital divide in run-up to Summit of the Americas in Miami
- Testimony comes as US faces criticism over planning of international meeting amid controversy over guest list excluding countries allied with Beijing
The United States must focus on strengthening regional democracy, improving the health sector and bridging the digital divide to counter China’s growing influence in Latin America and safeguard US leadership, witnesses said during a Senate hearing Thursday on next month’s Summit of the Americas.
And despite comprising 8.4 per cent of the global population, Latin America and the Caribbean suffered 28 per cent of the world’s recorded deaths as the US fell short in distributing vaccines, regional experts told a Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee.
“We have to prioritise the Americas for public health reasons for sure,” said Eric Farnsworth, vice-president of the Council of the Americas, a civic group focused on business and economics. “But also there’s a strategic component here with China. It’s something that makes sense for us to be doing.”
The hearing comes as the administration faces criticism over the June 6-10 meeting, the first time the US has hosted it since the inaugural summit in Miami in 1994.