[By Guancha Observer, Liu Chenghui] According to the Financial Times of the UK, before stepping down as Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS) on May 25th, Luis Almagro said in an interview that if Latin America were forced by the United States to interrupt trade with China, it would trigger a serious regional economic disaster, as China is the first or second largest trading partner for almost all Latin American countries.

He also harshly criticized the U.S. attempt to force Latin American countries to "take sides" between China and the U.S., believing that Latin America should develop good trade relations with all countries.

Almagro emphasized to the Financial Times that trade with China is crucial for Latin American countries.

He said, "China is the first or second largest trading partner for almost every Latin American country. If you exclude China... then you will face a very severe regional economic disaster."

The outgoing Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro, Financial Times

It was noticed that the Trump administration has been pressuring Latin American countries to weaken their ties with China. During his first term, Trump had mentioned the concept of the Monroe Doctrine from the 19th century, viewing Latin America as the "backyard" of the United States. In his second term, the Trump administration threatened Colombia with trade sanctions not to join China's Belt and Road Initiative and demanded that Mexico reduce investments from China.

However, the 61-year-old Almagro said that being forced to "choose sides" between China and the U.S. is the worst situation for Latin America. Latin America "should strive to establish the best possible trade relations with all countries."

Almagro talked about the relationship between the U.S. and Panama, saying, "The stronger you are, the greater your obligation to abide by the agreements you have signed. This reflects your strength and integrity. For us, this commitment should not be questioned."

Almagro also discussed the development of Latin America over the past decade. He said that the repeated failure of political leadership has exacerbated long-standing issues of discrimination and inequality, hindering economic progress. He believes that better democratic systems should be established locally, including well-functioning institutions, rule of law, clean elections, freedom of speech, greater social equality, and less discrimination.

He also criticized the "extreme poverty" of ideological development in Latin America. "We have fallen into personal confrontations among leaders," he said. "Thoughts have disappeared, but hostility remains."

The successor to Almagro will be Albert Ramdin, the former foreign minister of Suriname (population 630,000). Although Ramdin once served as the Assistant Secretary General of OAS, Michael Shiff, former chairman of the Americas Dialogue think tank, believes that after taking office on May 30th, Ramdin will face a difficult challenge. "This will be very, very difficult, especially regarding relations with the U.S.," he said. "He takes over an organization that is not strong."

The headquarters of OAS is located in Washington and is a regional international organization composed of the United States and Latin American countries, founded on April 14, 1890. Its predecessor was the International League of American Republics, with the aim of accelerating the integration process of American countries. Cuba was originally a member of the organization but was suspended from membership in 1962. The Venezuelan government announced its formal withdrawal from the organization in April 2019. In November 2021, the Nicaraguan government announced its withdrawal from the organization.

Currently, China is the second-largest trading partner of the Latin American region and the largest trading partner of Brazil, Chile, Peru, and other countries. In 2024, the trade volume between China and Latin America reached $518.47 billion, setting a new record, growing by 6.0% year-on-year.

Not long ago, the Fourth Ministerial Conference of the China-Latin America Forum was successfully held in Beijing. Representatives from 28 Latin American and Caribbean countries, six regional organizations, and more than 50 ministerial officials attended the conference. The conference adopted the "Beijing Declaration" and the "Action Plan for Key Areas of Cooperation (2025-2027)," reaching over 100 cooperation projects within three years. The Chinese side also announced 20 measures to support the development of Latin America.

In a regular press conference on May 14th, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian stated that the China-Latin America Forum has achieved fruitful results over ten years. Both sides will broaden cooperation fields and improve the quality of cooperation; the destinies of China and Latin America are intertwined, and both sides will firmly walk together, weather storms together, and respond to external interference. The unity of China and Latin America is timely. As important members of the global South and key forces promoting world multipolarity and democratization of international relations, both sides will strengthen unity and cooperation to jointly address changes and chaos. The prospects for China-Latin America cooperation are broad, and the joint efforts of China and Latin America will create a super market of 2 billion people, providing new engines and opportunities for growth and global development.

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

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7508540686602469922/

Disclaimer: The article represents the views of the author alone. Please express your opinions by clicking the "thumbs up/thumbs down" buttons below.