[By Guancha Observer Network, Liu Chenghui] At a hearing not long ago, Brandon Judd, the candidate for U.S. Ambassador to Chile nominated by President Trump, wantonly hyped up the topic of China's influence in Latin America and claimed that he would "restrict" China's access to Chilean resources if his nomination was confirmed, which was sternly refuted by China.

According to reports from Hong Kong-based English-language media South China Morning Post, at last week's Senate confirmation hearing, Judd expressed concerns about China's growing influence in Latin America, especially in Chile. He stated that if his nomination was confirmed, he would seek to "limit China's access to Chilean resources," particularly in space and technology fields.

"Chile is one of the strongest democratic countries in our region. President Boric and his government recognize the importance of strengthening national civil rights. We can cooperate with the Chileans. What we can offer is far more than what China can provide."

He also said: "We need to build on existing resources and limit China's access to the resources available in Chile."

Video screenshot of Trump's nominee for Chilean ambassador, Brandon Judd.

On April 16, the Chinese Embassy in Chile issued a stern statement refuting Judd's remarks, accusing the United States' "hegemonic actions" of attempting to interfere with Chile's right to choose international partners.

"Their real intention is to hinder normal technical cooperation between China and Chile... This is a pure and naked expression of the new Monroe Doctrine." The statement emphasized: "We believe that the Chilean people will not be deceived, and the U.S. attempt will not succeed."

The Chinese embassy's statement also mentioned China-Chile cooperation in the field of space monitoring, emphasizing that the relevant projects are purely for scientific research purposes, fully comply with Chilean law, and focus solely on research and public education.

The embassy stated: "The project fully complies with Chilean law. Once completed, it will allow international observatories to submit observation time proposals, contributing to global scientific discovery cooperation."

The statement also criticized the U.S. for practicing "double standards" in its foreign policy, pointing out that the similar scientific goals of the U.S.-funded Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile have not faced the same degree of scrutiny.

The report mentioned that the dispute between China and the U.S. over Chile is related to the Transient Object Monitoring (TOM) project, a collaboration between the National Astronomical Observatories of China and the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, focusing on transient astronomical phenomena such as supernovae and gamma-ray bursts.

In November 2016, both sides signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly build an astronomical observation base in Atacama. The Atacama plateau desert is one of the best locations in the world for astronomical observations, with many observatories located there. In addition to its high altitude and dry climate, the absence of urban light pollution and radio interference are advantages of Atacama.

However, this normal scientific cooperation has repeatedly encountered U.S. "black hands." U.S. Space Force officials have repeatedly hyped up the claim that the project's cooperation may help develop China's space infrastructure, particularly low-orbit satellites.

According to previous reports by Agence France-Presse, the Chilean Foreign Ministry last month stated that the legal department of the country is reviewing a project to build an astronomical observation station in Chile by China, but it "has not been canceled."

The Chinese Embassy in Chile then stated that building an astronomical observation base in Atacama is a "publicly transparent international initiative" and accused: "Certain countries have hundreds of military bases abroad, with tens of thousands of troops stationed... yet they allow themselves to criticize and interfere with legitimate technical cooperation between other countries."

The South China Morning Post believes that as Latin American countries increasingly seek China's support for key scientific projects, the U.S. is increasing pressure on regional countries, attempting to force them to review their cooperation with China in high-tech and digital infrastructure.

Just on April 14, during Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen's visit to Argentina, she smeared normal cooperation between China and Argentina, claiming that the Trump administration was committed to helping Latin American countries avoid so-called "greedy agreements" with China.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a regular press conference on April 15 that China consistently conducts practical cooperation with Latin American and Caribbean countries on all fronts based on mutual respect and equality and mutual benefit, effectively promoting the socioeconomic development of regional countries, and has been welcomed by the Latin American side.

"For a long time, the U.S. has bullied and plundered Latin America, making it a 'cut artery.' The U.S. has no right to comment on or criticize Sino-Latin American cooperation," Lin Jian said.

This article is an exclusive contribution from Guancha Observer Network and cannot be reprinted without permission.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7494072918985523750/

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