'Here for war!' China's grip on Latin America poses yet another security challenge to US
China has a "physical presence" in 25 out of 31 Latin American countries, a Republican lawmaker has claimed.
Christine Wormuth on increasing USA tensions with China
China's grip in Latin America is posing yet another security challenge to the United States, a Grand Old Party lawmaker has warned. Florida Representative Maria Elvira Salazar, who attended a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, claimed China had gained a military foothold in Latin America.
She said: "Xi Jinping has been to Latin America more times than President Obama, Trump and Biden combined in the last 10 years."
Salazar added: "The Chinese are not here for trade. They're here for war."
The 61-year-old, who was born in Miami and spent much of her childhood in Puerto Rico, also claimed Argentina is now considering opening a Chinese fighter jet factory.
There is also a Deep Space Station in the middle of Patagonia which is believed to be the size of around 400 football pitches.
Venezuela and Bolivia were both earmarked as other Latin American countries at risk from Beijing.
Addressing recent sightings of alleged Chinese spy balloons, Salazar argued: "I am sure the Chinese are very interested in studying the stars and every constellation.
"But the problem is that Argentina has no idea what's going on there because the Chinese don't let them in."
However, Argentina's Ambassador to the US Jorge Arguello rejected Salazar's claims earlier this month as false and called them "absurd".
Salazar is not the only person to express concern about China's overreach into Latin America.
Juan Cruz, former National Security Council senior director for Western Hemisphere affairs, said: "We have no clue what takes place there and neither do the Argentinians.
"We believe that [China’s] using that as a mechanism to monitor our space activity and otherwise be a collector of intelligence."
He added: "We woke up one day and the Chinese were in our neighbourhood.
DON'T MISS:
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will turn Coronation into 'soap opera' [LATEST]
Silicon Valley Bank seized by regulators after run on deposits [REVEALED]
Gayle King weighs in on Sussex children's new royal titles [INSIGHT]
"That displacement takes place not just in business and Government [and] diplomatic influence but in terms of technology and what they’re doing around the world with a lot more relevance to US interests."
But China's presence in Latin America stretches beyond aerospace and the military.
Analysis by the World Economic Forum found trade between Beijing and Latin America grew 26-fold from 2000 to 2020, growing from $12billion to $315billion.
Trade flows between China and Latin America are expected to continue to soar over the next decade, reaching more than $700billion a year by 2035.
In contrast, the US has loosened its grip on South America in recent decades amid concerns about corruption, legal parameters and other foreign financial incentives.
Follow our social media accounts here on facebook.com/ExpressUSNews