The U.S. is losing Latin America to China without putting up a fight, Ecuador’s ambassador to Washington told Axios, laying bare her frustrations with early inattention from the Biden administration.
Why it matters: Ecuador isn’t alone. China has deepened its engagement in the region, and it’s now the top trading partner for many of the region’s largest economies. That gives Beijing considerable leverage in a region historically dominated by the U.S., and makes Latin America a major frontier in the global competition for influence.
Without more attention from Washington, even U.S.-friendly governments will conclude that “we’re still just the backyard,” Ambassador Ivonne Baki said in an hour-long interview in her office.
“And China is waiting, saying, ‘We’re here. We’re giving you money.’ They want control of course, but they don’t say that.”