Latin America 'not backyard' of any country: China
Chinese foreign minister’s comments during meeting with Bolivian counterpart comes as Trump admin moves to strengthen ties with South America
Ships are seen on Panama Canal in Panama City, Panama
ISTANBUL
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi has said Latin America is not the “backyard” of any country amid attempts by the Trump administration to strengthen ties in South America.
Wang made the statement at the UN on Wednesday when he met Bolivia’s Foreign Minister Celinda Sosa.
The Chinese foreign minister was in New York to chair a high-level event of the UN Security Council. China is the current chair of the council.
“Latin America is the home of the Latin American people, not the backyard of any country,” Wang told Sosa, according to a statement released by Beijing.
“China supports Latin American countries in defending their sovereignty, independence, and national dignity, and supports Bolivia in safeguarding its legitimate rights and interests,” he added.
Wang’s statement comes as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio made his first foreign trip to South America soon after President Donald Trump appointed him last month.
Trump has also changed the name of the Gulf of Mexico to "Gulf of America" while it has threatened to take over the Panama Canal, prompting the Central American nation to withdraw from China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
Beijing has protested Panama’s decision.
“China will always be a reliable friend and partner of Latin America,” Wang told the foreign minister of Bolivia, which joined the BRICS bloc as a “partner nation” last month.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Latin America Forum, the statement noted.
“China is willing to work with Latin American and Caribbean countries, including Bolivia, to prepare for this year's meeting and discuss the development plan of China-Latin America cooperation in the next decade," Wang told the Bolivian counterpart.
Beijing over the years has increased trade ties with South America, with Brazil, another BRICS bloc founder, becoming China’s largest trade partner in the region.
During his trip to Peru last year, China’s President Xi Jinping inaugurated the first Beijing-funded Chancay Port in the South American nation.
