China Courts Latin America

Chinese General Secretary Xi Jinping delivered a video address during the seventh summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (celac) on January 24, stressing that China is determined to draw nearer to the nations of the region.

• Xi stressed the importance of Latin American and Caribbean countries in global governance.
• He encouraged these nations to integrate more closely with each other.
• He emphasized that China wishes to draw closer to all of these nations as well.

We highly value our relations with celac [and must take the relationship] into a new era characterized by equality, mutual benefit, innovation, openness and benefits for the people.
—Xi Jinping

Xi also stressed that the world is in a new era of turbulence and said, “We can only tackle the challenges and tide over this trying time through greater solidarity and closer cooperation.”

Already deep influence: A recent report by the United States-based Center for a Secure Free Society showed that China controls 40 Latin American ports as well as 11 satellite ground stations.

Many of these Chinese state-owned companies have ties to the People’s Liberation Army (pla) and are involved in around 40 port infrastructure projects, from Mexico down to Peru, that combined with 11 satellite ground stations in Latin America, provide China with strategic positioning in the Western Hemisphere.
—Center for a Secure Free Society

China’s power over Latin American and Caribbean nations is already profound, and Xi’s speech shows that he is determined to further deepen it. Particularly alarming for the U.S. is China’s growing presence in nations such as Cuba and Nicaragua that lie astride shipping routes that America relies on for shipping and receiving critical commodities.

The Trumpet said: In a March 2019 article titled “Preparing to Storm America’s Castle,” the Trumpet warned of this threat:

[T]he Caribbean is vital to U.S. security. This sea not only connects the East Coast with the Pacific Ocean via the Panama Canal, it guards the mouth of the Gulf of Mexico. Half of America’s seaborne trade passes through the Gulf. So a foreign power that controls the Caribbean could cripple the U.S. economy by restricting its access to oceanic shipping.

This geographic reality is why Russia and China want to challenge U.S. dominance in the Caribbean. These aspiring superpowers are forging alliances with socialist governments in Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela. If these Latin dictatorships become staging grounds for Russia and China, a coalition of nations could potentially cut off U.S. access to the Panama Canal and seal off the Straits of Florida and the Yucatán Channel.

As disturbing as this possibility sounds, Bible prophecy reveals that such a besiegement will soon happen.