BEIJING, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- Defense Minister Liang Guanglie met with delegates to the 1st China-Latin America high-level defense forum on Tuesday.
Liang hailed the increasingly close relations between China and Latin American countries in recent years, noting that the two sides have enjoyed frequent high-level visits, deepening political mutual trust, strengthening communication and cooperation, as well as effective coordination on major international affairs.
He said the forum shows that China attaches great importance to developing military relations with Latin American countries.
The forum has provided a platform for the two sides to communicate at the senior official level and will increase friendship and trust between the military leaders of both sides so as to develop future China-Latin American military relations, Liang said.
On behalf of the delegates, Pedro Siqueira, Uruguayan commander in chief of the army, said the forum has given Latin American countries more knowledge about China and it has also helped enhance communication between the militaries of both sides.
He expressed the hope that the Chinese military will pay more visits to Latin American countries in order to increase mutual understanding.
March 5th, 2015, 05:00
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Re: Chinese DM meets with Latin American nations to develop military relations
The installation of a Chinese space station in Argentina’s Patagonia, not far from the border with Chile, has caused serious concerns in the region, the Buenos Aires newspaper La Nación reported.
Construction of the base began even without the required approval of the Argentine Congress after the signing of an agreement between President Cristina Kirchner and her Chinese counterpart, Xi Jiping.
The worst fear is that it will be used for military purposes.
The base is being hastily built in the desert town of Bajada del Agrio in the province of Neuquén on the Andes foothills, not far from the Chilean border and nearly 860 miles from Buenos Aires.
Félix Menicocci, secretary general of the National Commission of Space Activities (CONAE), declared in the Senate that it must approve the agreement and that "there will be no Chinese military personnel [involved] in the project." He also disregarded the global geopolitical effects of the controversial Chinese space station in Argentina.
According to CONAE's official version of the affair, the base would not be able to track missiles, but senior officials in the Ministry of Defense disagree.
The populist Argentine government claims that the project will generated a lot of money. The base will house "10 Chinese scientists throughout the year and 25 others in rotation."
The Argentine Planning Minister, Julio De Vido issued lavish praise for Argentine human resources and of the country's experience in developing Earth observation satellites and a satellite launcher, the Tronador II.
But he failed to say that Argentina will have no control over what happens in the Chinese base. Not only will the project be exempt from taxes, but the two hundred workers laboring day and night in the new facility will be neither Argentine nor be governed by the country's labor laws.
In a statement, the Chinese Embassy in Buenos Aires said that "the alleged loss of Argentine sovereignty does not correspond to reality and is nothing but absurd talk." In Buenos Aires, however, no one believes the "Chinese tale."
The nationalist hypocrisy of the leftist Peronist government is becoming obvious. Argentine nationalists, always cozily in bed with socialism and communism and obsessively anti-American, would cry bloody murder if an Argentine government were to make a similar deal with the United States. But since this agreement favors Red China, heir to Mao Zedong, the same nationalists favor it, snuff out all reactions, and pretend it is insignificant when the agreement is denounced loud and clear.
This base is one of Beijing's most coveted dreams in Argentine territory, La Nación added.
The agreement between Argentine nationalists and Chinese communists includes "reserved attachments" held in strict secrecy. Only parts of it are known to the lawmakers that must approve the agreement.
For the Argentine Armed Forces, the case is very serious, as Beijing will be able to use the 200-hectare Chinese space station for military purposes in the immediate future.
The tax-exempt concession will have a 50-year duration, and the base will be manned with Chinese personnel and be subject to Chinese law.
According to Neuquen Province's Secretary of Public Management, Rodolfo Laffitte, if the current pace of construction is kept the spatial antenna will be active by February 2015.
Depending on the Chinese activities, Argentina will only be able to use the station for 10% of the available time.
According to specialist Felipe de la Balze, the technology being installed is dual-use, civil and military. "It has military uses of enormous importance that could get our country involved in a future military conflict between the United States and China."
Argentine president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner is expected to sign agreements with China to increase military co-operation, including construction of new warships for the Argentine Navy, during her current state visit to Beijing, according to media reports and Jane's Defense Weekly.
BEIJING, April18,(ChinaMil) -- The third meeting of the Joint Commission on the Exchanges and Cooperation between Chinese and Brazilian Defense Ministries (hereinafter referred to as the "Joint Commission") was held on the morning of April 17, 2013 in Beijing. Qi Jianguo, deputy chief of general staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), and Carlos Augusto, director of the Strategic Affairs Department under the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Brazilian Armed Forces, cochaired the meeting.
The two sides gave a briefing on the building of their own military and the participation in international peacekeeping operations and had an in-depth exchange of views on international and regional security situations and hotspot issues, and they agreed to strengthen exchanges and cooperation in such fields as high-level reciprocal visits, personnel training, equipment technology and international peacekeeping operations.
Qi Jianguo said that the relations between Chinese and Brazilian militaries are an important component of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries. In recent years, the relations between the two militaries have been developed rapidly as evidenced by increasing exchanges and cooperation. The Chinese side is willing to make joint efforts with the Brazilian side to give full play to the role of coordination mechanism of the Joint Commission and promote the friendly and cooperative relations between the two militaries to a new high.
Augusto said that Brazil and China have broad consensus on international affairs, and it is hoped that the two militaries will further strengthen exchanges and cooperation, and expand cooperation fields, so as to make positive contributions to maintaining world peace and regional stability.
In recent years, China and Russia have been dancing with increasing vigor to the rhythms of Latin American trade and diplomacy. The two Eastern giants want business allies, resources and friends who share their desire to close the curtain on the era of United States dominance. As they tango across Latin America, they are finding all three in abundance.
The U.S., apparently indifferent to the Chinese and Russian advance into its backyard, is sitting out more and more Latin American dances. But there is another global power whose salsa shoes won’t be coming off any time soon; this rising power bloc will check the advance of Beijing and Moscow into Latin America.
China’s Cha Cha
As the U.S. has retreated from Latin America, China has been the main player to cha cha its way into the void.
From 2000 to 2009, trade between China and Latin America increased by a staggering 1,200 percent. If current trends persist, China will surpass the European Union next year to become Latin America’s second-largest trade partner. Within 10 years, trade between the two sides is expected to reach $500 billion per year.
China’s dance into Latin America also includes an increasing amount of investment. Last month, Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged to invest $250 billion into the region. “With relatively little fanfare,” said Latin America expert Juan de Onis, “China has taken over the inside lane of economic development in Latin America with an ambitious 10-year regional investment plan on the scale of the Marshall Plan.”
From Cuba to Chile, the Chinese dragon is swaying its hips and sashaying to Latin America’s spicy, conga-driven polyrhythms. Offering a mojito here and sharing a fine cigar there, China is winning friends on the great Latin American dance floor. I saw some of this investment firsthand during a visit to St. George’s, Grenada, last October. A local tour guide named Duffy pointed out a massive sports stadium being rebuilt with $31.5 million allocated by the Chinese government. “We don’t really know why China wants to fix it for us,” Duffy told our group. “We think China wants Grenada to be eager to help them if they are ever in need.”
China has also apparently broken ground on a canal through Nicaragua. The $50-billion venture is billed as the world’s largest engineering project, and is of immense geopolitical significance. It will see a 173-mile-long route cut through the Central American nation to connect the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Officials say it will open for business in 2019. The Nicaraguan Canal’s width and depth will dwarf that of the Panama Canal, several hundred miles south, allowing Nicaragua to accommodate modern freighters that are too large to pass through Panama. The overshadowing of the U.S.-built Panama Canal will significantly challenge American hegemony in Latin America. Critics of the project say it will also give China a de facto military base very near to the United States. (In October, I flew over a portion of the planned Nicaraguan canal route, and you can see one of my photos here).
From Cuba to Chile, the Chinese dragon is swaying its hips and quickstepping to Latin America’s spicy, conga-driven polyrhythms. Offering a mint mojito here and sharing a fine cigar there, China is winning many friends on the great Latin American dance floor.
Russia’s Rumba
In the past decade, Russia has worked to reestablish the footing in Latin America that the Soviet Union held during the Cold War era. Its efforts have intensified in recent months after the U.S. and Europe slapped sanctions on Russia as punishment for its role in the Ukraine crisis. These sanctions prompted Moscow to steepen its tilt toward Latin American markets.
In July, Russian President Vladimir Putin made a six-day tour of Latin America, visiting Cuba, Argentina, Brazil and Nicaragua, and meeting with 11 regional leaders.
In Cuba, Putin signed several major oil and security contracts and forgave 90 percent (about $32 billion) of Cuban debts that stood unpaid since Soviet times. For a relatively poor nation such as Cuba to have so much debt forgiven is no small event. Putin said the remaining 10 percent would be reinvested into Cuba’s infrastructure. After the visit, reports emerged that Cuba had even agreed to reopen Soviet-era bases to Russia.
Argentina is one of few nations who supported Russia’s annexation of Crimea. During Putin’s trip there, he rewarded that support by signing security and trade agreements and a landmark deal to build nuclear power plants in Argentina. Russia also offered to supply Argentina with a dozen fighter jets, which could inflame the Falkland Islands dispute.
Putin signed similar deals with Brazil, along with agreements on aviation, weapons and technical cooperation. Putin’s visit to Nicaragua marked the first time a Russian president has traveled to the nation. He spoke with Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega about working together on issues ranging from security to agriculture. Ortega called Putin’s visit “historic” and a “ray of light.”
In all four nations, Putin took steps to build stations for Glonass, Russia’s answer to the U.S.’s gps. At the end of the tour, Putin said Russia needs to “reestablish a presence in this extremely interesting, very promising region of the world.”
As the Russian bear promenades, swivels and dips across the vast Latin American dance floor, it is establishing a position for itself of unprecedented strategic value. Analysts viewed Putin’s tour itself as “extremely interesting,” especially given the timing of his rumba across the continent. “The fact that Vladimir Putin managed to set aside an entire week for a trip to the region is very revealing,” said Vladimir Davydov, director of the Institute of Latin America at the Russian Academy of Sciences, in an interview with Russia Beyond the Headlines. “It would seem to be an unaffordable luxury when there is an acute crisis on Russia’s borders. However, this tour is as relevant as ever. At a time when the West is trying to lure Russia into a ‘Ukrainian snare,’ it showed that Russia is entirely capable of regaining old allies and of making new ones.”
In recent months, Russian bombers have patrolled the Caribbean, landing in Venezuela and Nicaragua. Russia has held joint military drills with Venezuela, and Russian ships have entered Cuban and Venezuelan ports. Meanwhile, Russian gas giant Gazprom is investing heavily in Argentina and Bolivia, and Russia’s state-run Rosneft firm is increasingly dynamic in Venezuela.
As the Russian bear promenades, swivels and dips across the vast Latin American dance floor, it is establishing a position for itself of unprecedented strategic value. “It can … be argued that Russia is more influential in Latin America now than it ever was during the Cold War,” Moscow-based analyst Andrew Korybko wrote in the Aug. 22, 2014, Oriental Review.
The Bear and Dragon Samba in Lockstep
China and Russia do not feel threatened by one another’s drive into Latin America. Instead, the two are dancing hand-in-hand through key steps of their advance.
To support the China-funded Nicaraguan Canal project, Russia has promised military backing to ensure safety during construction. Starting this year, Nicaragua will host a Russian base, and Moscow’s fleets will patrol the country’s Pacific and Caribbean coasts, making sure no one interferes with China’s mammoth project.
In July, Putin and Xi crossed paths in Brazil to unveil a massive, new-world “development bank” to challenge U.S.-dominated financial institutions. Russia and China will operate the bank with the help of Brazil, as well as India and South Africa.
This all adds up to a deeply significant trend. “Russian and Chinese involvement in the [Latin American] region is growing at a spectacular pace and in a multifaceted way, thus opening the possibility for a dramatic geopolitical transformation right on the doorsteps of the U.S.,” Korybko wrote.
“Altogether, Latin America is the most suitable rear base for advancing the Multipolar World in the backyard of the fading unipolar giant,” he said. “Russia and China have absolutely no competing interests whatsoever in this theater, thus unquestionably showing the grand strategic aims of the rcsp [Russia China Strategic Partnership] in general.”
Korybko explained that Latin America is eager to foxtrot with Russia and China because many nations of the region harbor “intense dislike” of the U.S. and know that Moscow and Beijing share the sentiment. For Russia and China, this intense dislike means Latin American nations can “be flexibly managed from afar to partake in even more detrimental actions against its former hegemon,” Korybko said.
Will Europe Sit This One Out?
The United States is indifferent to the Russo-Chinese advance into its backyard. But what about Europe? Will the Europeans allow their sister continent to become ever more aligned with Moscow and Beijing? Will Europe allow the tangoing bear and dragon to steal the show?
For more than five centuries, Europe and Latin America have been bound together as sister continents by both religion and language. These cultural commonalities have long given European powers preferential economic treatment among most South and Central American nations. At present, the European Union remains Latin America’s second-largest trade partner (after the United States). Yet Europe’s influence in Latin America has slipped slightly as the ambitions of Beijing and Moscow have swelled. Chinese Marxist revolutionary Mao Tse Tung vowed to his people decades ago, “All that the West has, China will have.” China’s rapacious drive into Latin America is evidence that Mao’s words still resonate in the Chinese mindset.
Be assured that Europe will not stand by passively and allow China and Russia elbow it off the dance floor. But be assured that Europe will not stand by passively and allow Beijing and Moscow to elbow it off the dance floor.
Around the time Putin visited Cuba, Pope Francis sent letters to the leaders of Cuba and the United States. These letters played a key role in thawing U.S.-Cuban relations, which was announced in December. The pope’s role in that deal gives the Catholic Church—whose stronghold is Europe—renewed influence over Cuba. Will that influence be to the exclusion of Russia? For a time, Cuba’s Communist regime may be in a position to play both sides against each other. But even still, the pope’s maneuver significantly reduced Putin’s sway over the island nation.
Then in January, the pope appointed five new Latin American cardinals, saying the move would “manifest the indissoluble links between the church of Rome” and the nations the men came from. Also in January, Germany took a major step toward strengthening cooperation with Mexico.
At present, the lack of cohesion among European nations hinders Europe’s efforts to reign supreme in Latin America. But the deepening inroads that China and Russia are making will actually serve as a catalyst for the EU to unite. As China and Russia continue mamboing through the region, European nations will increasingly work together, under German leadership and under Vatican guidance, to bolster Europe’s own position on the great Latin American dance floor.
