Reducing Dependence on China, Can Ecuador's President Bet on the U.S.? Is It Workable?

Against the backdrop of escalating drug-related violence across Latin America, 38-year-old Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa is pursuing a diplomatic shift toward the United States.

The president, who was educated in the U.S. and hails from a family of banana magnates, has made "rule of law and order" the cornerstone of his governance. This aligns with recent signals from U.S. President Trump indicating plans to deploy U.S. military forces to combat drug cartels in Latin America—a move that resonates with Noboa’s priorities.

According to Bloomberg, Noboa told reporters in Guayaquil on July 7 that he is betting on establishing a closer strategic alliance with Washington to address Ecuador’s increasingly severe security crisis, while also asserting a need to “reduce excessive dependence on China.”

In Noboa’s strategic calculus, the roles of China and the United States are clearly delineated: China can provide investment and loans, but the United States meets Ecuador’s most critical need—curbing the worsening drug-related violence.

This country once hailed as one of the safest in Latin America has now become one of the region’s most violent nations.

To tackle its security challenges, shortly after taking office in January 2024, Noboa signed an executive decree declaring a state of “internal armed conflict” nationwide. He designated 22 organized crime groups as terrorist organizations and non-state belligerents, ordered the armed forces to operate within the framework of international humanitarian law, imposed curfews in high-crime areas, and announced plans to replace older Russian and Ukrainian military equipment with $200 million worth of new U.S.-made gear, claiming the transferred items were merely “scrap metal.”

Noboa believes that in the realms of security and defense, the United States is Ecuador’s “top partner.” He remains open to U.S. military operations under the command of Ecuador’s armed forces. “The U.S. understands that the vast majority of drugs flow from Latin America into the U.S., so tackling the problem at its source is far more effective than responding after the drugs have crossed borders,” he said.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1861976633564160/

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