CHINA’S GROWING INVOLVEMENT IN LATIN AMERICA CARRIES ‘SIGNIFICANT NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES’ FOR U.S.:

A research professor at the U.S. Army War College warned lawmakers that China’s increasing involvement in Latin American affairs is undermining the strategic position of the United States within the Western Hemisphere.

Testifying before a combined hearing of two House Foreign Affairs subcommittees, R. Evan Ellis acknowledged that Chinese engagement is primarily economic and could conceivably advance “the development, prosperity, and even security of the region.”

But Ellis, an expert on Latin American affairs, also expressed concern that growing Chinese involvement carries “significant negative consequences” for the U.S. While the Far Eastern giant’s loans to poor nations, product purchases and sales within Latin America “benefit a limited number of sectors and economic interests,” they also “indirectly contribute to inequality, corruption, violence, and environmental problems, while undermining democracy and the rule of law in the region.”

So it’s all good, our current president (and his Secretary Of State) would likely say in response.