Threats from China are emerging as a common theme across different U.S. Commands at the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee hearings.
The issue of China’s influence in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) was raised by General Laura Richardson, the head of the U.S. South Command, during a session that included her colleague Air Force General Glen D. VanHerck, who leads the U.S. North Command.
Similar to sessions earlier this month with General Stephen Townsend, the head of the U.S. Africa Command, the committee heard alarmist testimony from Genl. Richardson about China’s investments in projects near the Strait of Magellan and the Panama Canal, which she said could have dual civilian and military uses. China is funding port projects in 17 LAC countries, she said.
General Townsend has repeatedly claimed that China is planning to use port developments in Equatorial Guinea for military purposes, and has also accused China of predatory lending.
This claim was also repeated by General Richardson. Beijing “doesn’t invest in Latin America, it extracts,” she said.
Highlights from General Laura Richardson’s Testimony:
- INVESTMENT: Richardson said that China has invested $50 billion in the region from 2017 to 2021, compared to an annual investment of $50 million by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. “These investments are very methodically thought out,” Richardson said. “I worry about the access that they get in there.”
- MILITARY TRAINING: Richardson raised the issue that LAC military personnel are receiving training in China. Though the training does not resemble the large, multi-country training exercises in which the U.S. specializes, Richardson said she sees China and Russia “using part of our playbook against us.”
