Spy balloons, Taiwan, and failed diplomatic efforts dominate headlines about the tense relationship between China and the United States.
Commanders in the Military are growing more concerned by a more subtle threat: Beijing’s expanding grasp on Latin America.
China Belt and Road Initiative
China’s influence has increased, from tens of billions of dollars in funding for important regional infrastructure projects to its own covert, military-run space station in Argentina that might target American satellites.
A total of 21 Latin American nations have endorsed Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative, a ground-breaking strategy President Xi Jinping unveiled in 2013 to gain influence and power by sponsoring international infrastructure projects.
Since 2005, Chinese state banks have lent $136 billion to South American nations with terms that US authorities have referred to as a spiraling trap.
Roads, sports arenas, COVID-19 vaccinations, and large energy projects have all been supported with the money.
The Panama Canal ports are currently under the authority of private Chinese companies, which US officials claim may be easily redirected toward military capabilities.
They extract huge quantities of essential minerals on the continent and provide the majority of Mexico’s telecom equipment.
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Military Expansion and American Interference
America’s influence has decreased as China’s has grown.
Political and military officials are alarmed by this continuous power transfer, and they are no longer keeping their annoyance a secret.
China is also charged with having interests beyond merely infrastructure and civil projects in Argentina.
Some US government representatives worry that the distant Espacio Lejano satellite station in western Neuquén Province might be exploited for military objectives.
The covert 200-hectare complex, which will open in 2018 and cost $50 million, has a potent 16-story antenna that purportedly helped China place a lunar rover on the moon’s dark side.
The People’s Liberation Army, which oversees China’s space program, has drawn criticism for its alleged intentions to’militarize’ space and interfere with American satellites.
Former Argentine foreign minister Susana Malcorra told Reuters that her nation has no control over the facility’s functioning.
According to Beijing’s foreign ministry, the station is only used for peaceful, civil activities.
It stated that some people have ulterior intentions in their suspicions.
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