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China's Latin influence is growing, general says
The Miami Herald ^ | March 10, 2005 | PABLO BACHELET

Posted on 03/10/2005 6:40:13 PM PST by snowsislander

China's Latin influence is growing, general says

China is taking advantage of a U.S. influence vacuum in Latin America because of aid cuts, the commander of the Southern Command says.

By PABLO BACHELET

pbachelet@herald.com

WASHINGTON - The head of the Miami-based U.S. Southern Command Wednesday warned that China was increasing its influence among Latin American militaries, and partly blamed a policy that cuts military aid to countries that refuse to exempt U.S. citizens from International Criminal Court jurisdiction.

In his first testimony before a House panel, Army Gen. Bantz Craddock, who heads the United States Southern Command, offered an unusually sober assessment of the impact of the U.S. policy to exempt U.S. citizens from ICC, something many nations resent as a heavy-handed U.S. imposition.

AID CUTS

He said 22 countries had their military aid cut, of which 11 were from Latin America and the Caribbean. The cuts meant that officers from those countries would not be trained in U.S. facilities

''The concern is that there will be unintended consequences, that we loose contact, engagement, the opportunity to learn from them and teach them about the values and ideals and beliefs in democratic institutions,'' Craddock told the House Armed Service Committee, adding that ``others will fill that gap.''

The Chinese military was reaching out to their Latin American counterparts, Craddock said, especially in the Pacific rim and Andean regions. Chinese defense officials made 20 visits to Latin American and Caribbean nations last year, while nine high-level delegations from Latin America visited China.

The nations affected by the sanctions are Barbados, Bolivia, Peru, Venezuela, Ecuador, St. Vincent, Uruguay, Costa Rica, Brazil, Trinidad and Paraguay.

The Bush administration argues countries could use the International Criminal Court, based in The Hague, Netherlands, to prosecute U.S. citizens for political reasons. By signing the exemption -- known as Article 98 -- nations agree not to transfer U.S. citizens to the ICC without U.S. consent.

In his written statement, Craddock called China's increasing influence in the region ''an emerging dynamic that could not be ignored.''

STRATEGY CHANGE

He said that China needed to protect its access to food, energy, raw materials and export markets and this had forced a change in that country's military strategy, to promote ``a power-projection military, capable of securing strategic shipping lanes and protecting its growing economic interests abroad.''

In separate hearings, two top State Department officials reiterated their concerns over Venezuela, whose president, Hugo Chávez, is a fierce critic of President Bush. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told a panel of the House Appropriations Committee that she wanted assurances that President Hugo Chávez is committed to democracy.


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs
KEYWORDS: bantzcraddock; barbados; bolivia; brazil; chicoms; china; chinathreat; costarica; craddock; ecuador; foreignaid; geopolitics; hegemony; latinamerica; militaryaid; paraguay; peru; sanctions; southamerica; southerncommand; stvincent; trinidad; uruguay; venezuela

1 posted on 03/10/2005 6:40:13 PM PST by snowsislander
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To: Dr. Marten

ping


2 posted on 03/10/2005 6:42:38 PM PST by snowsislander
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To: snowsislander

China & Russia are the real Axis of Evil. Our Nation faces its greatest threat since the Civil War. May God help us.


3 posted on 03/10/2005 6:44:13 PM PST by JonDavid
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To: snowsislander

''The concern is that there will be unintended consequences, that we loose contact, engagement, the opportunity to learn from them and teach them about the values and ideals and beliefs in democratic institutions,'' ''

Good heavens! Latin America still has to learn what democratic values are? And the only way for them to do this is to give them more billions?

Anybody else find this illogical?

If Latin America doesn't know or appreciate by now the values of the democratic west--the worth of the individual
over the state--then they'll never learn it; and they won't
come to appreciate those values--or us--just because we play sugar daddy to them.


4 posted on 03/10/2005 6:45:23 PM PST by CondorFlight
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To: JonDavid
China & Russia are the real Axis of Evil. Our Nation faces its greatest threat since the Civil War. May God help us.

I think that we and our children will rue the day we opened up trade and let China become wealthy.

5 posted on 03/10/2005 6:51:30 PM PST by snowsislander
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To: snowsislander; Dr. Marten

I warned about this on FR years ago.

But, since everyone knows Quix is crazy, it carried little weight, of course.


6 posted on 03/10/2005 6:58:55 PM PST by Quix (HAVING A FORM of GODLINESS but DENYING ITS POWER. 2 TIM 3:5)
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To: snowsislander
"The Monroe Doctrine, expressed in 1823, proclaimed that the Americas should be free from future European colonization and free from European interference in sovereign countries' affairs. It further stated the United States's intention to stay neutral in European wars and in wars between European powers and their colonies but to consider any new colonies or interference with independent countries in the Americas as hostile acts toward the United States. " - Wikipedia
7 posted on 03/10/2005 7:00:28 PM PST by wideminded
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To: wideminded

Taiwan ?


8 posted on 03/10/2005 7:17:47 PM PST by Eric in the Ozarks
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To: Eric in the Ozarks

China's a paper tiger.


9 posted on 03/10/2005 8:23:53 PM PST by arkfreepdom
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To: arkfreepdom

They've needlessly painted themselves into a corner over Taiwan. They could have the island Finlandized by now.


10 posted on 03/10/2005 8:29:52 PM PST by Eric in the Ozarks
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To: snowsislander
He said that China needed to protect its access to food, energy, raw materials and export markets and this had forced a change in that country's military strategy, to promote ``a power-projection military, capable of securing strategic shipping lanes and protecting its growing economic interests abroad.''

And the PLA would like to personally thank the appeasionists of the Carter and Clinton administrations with helping this mess get to this point so rapidly..

11 posted on 03/10/2005 8:30:01 PM PST by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi ...... The War on Terrorism is the ultimate 'faith-based' initiative.)
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To: snowsislander
I think that we and our children will rue the day we opened up trade and let China become wealthy.

How unAmerican of us!
12 posted on 03/10/2005 8:32:32 PM PST by kenavi ("Remember, your fathers sacrificed themselves without need of a messianic complex." Ariel Sharon)
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To: Eric in the Ozarks

True. I think China lacks the essential components of a world power....military and political strength....especially political.


13 posted on 03/10/2005 8:38:07 PM PST by arkfreepdom
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To: arkfreepdom
Immaturity. Loss of "face."
14 posted on 03/10/2005 8:47:10 PM PST by Eric in the Ozarks
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To: snowsislander
You can't change a Leopard's spots.
15 posted on 03/11/2005 6:33:30 AM PST by JonDavid
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To: Quix

I have been paying attention to this for years now. We need to take it up a level and give Taiwan and Japan some nuclear weapons.


16 posted on 03/11/2005 3:21:50 PM PST by Paul_Denton (The UN is UN-American! Get the UN out of the US and US out of the UN! http://asiasec.blogspot.com/)
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To: Quix

I was well aware of this threat since about 2000.


17 posted on 07/11/2005 4:00:32 PM PDT by Paul_Denton (Get the U.N. out of the U.S. and U.S. out of the U.N.!)
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To: Paul_Denton

Add in to the Chinese tendencies on their own

--the puppet masters manipulating them and the world situation to take the USA down in order to easier bring the world government up . . .

makes life interesting . . . in the traditional Chinese meaning of 'interesting times.'


18 posted on 07/11/2005 4:03:08 PM PDT by Quix (GOD'S LOVE IS INCREDIBLE . . . BUT MUST BE RECEIVED TO . . .)
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To: snowsislander; Eric in the Ozarks; Quix; johndavid; NormsRevenge

You can't swing a dead cat around here without hitting a "China expert." And when you hit one, a silly cliche pops out. Freepin' amazing!


19 posted on 07/11/2005 4:11:20 PM PDT by jayhorn (when i hit the drum, you shake the booty.)
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