According to a May 25 report by The Hill, Republican Rick Crawford, chairman of the U.S. House Intelligence Committee, stated on the same day that the United States must take more action in the Western Hemisphere to "contain China's growing influence in Latin America." Crawford referred to this as "the most pressing international issue facing the United States." In an interview with a news program, Crawford mentioned the above view: "We have deployed substantial assets to deal with the two global counter-terrorism wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but we have neglected our own neighbors." "China is expanding its malign influence throughout the Western Hemisphere," Crawford said. "They have carved out their own space politically and economically... I hope they haven't done so militarily, but we also see them showing interest in this area."

U.S. House Intelligence Committee Chairman and Republican Rick Crawford, The Hill

It was reported that Crawford is a military veteran, and he was appointed as the influential chairman of the House Intelligence Committee in January this year. In Crawford's view, many of the United States' "adversaries" in Latin America have deepened their ties with China through trade agreements and infrastructure cooperation. "In reality, we haven't made much effort to establish any truly substantive relationships," Crawford criticized U.S. foreign policy while specifically mentioning Latin American countries like Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, and Panama that are at odds with the United States. "We didn't do it, but we should have." Crawford said he believes these countries would prefer to cooperate with the United States rather than China, but the problem is that the United States hasn't done enough in this regard: "I have almost met the leaders of all countries in the Western Hemisphere, and they will tell me, 'You are our top partner,' then they turn around and reach agreements with China... Have we given them choices and alternatives? Frankly speaking, we haven't." This is not the first time an American politician has slandered normal cooperation between China and Latin American countries. Exaggerating the "threat" and "exploitation" of China in Latin America has become a routine agenda for them. In response, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian emphasized at a regular press conference on April 15 that China has always conducted practical cooperation in various fields with Latin American and Caribbean countries on the basis of mutual respect and equality and mutual benefit, effectively promoting the socio-economic development of these countries in the region, and has been welcomed by Latin American countries. "The United States has long bullied and exploited Latin America, making it a cut artery. The US has no right to comment on or criticize Sino-Latin American cooperation," Lin Jian said. This article is an exclusive contribution from Observer Network. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited. Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7508558241157186088/ Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author. Please express your attitude by clicking the "Like/Dislike" buttons below.