Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s assertions at the April 8 Central American Security Conference (Centsec) in Panama that China poses a threat “to our countries, our people and to peace in this region” are “steeped in ideological bias and the Cold War mentality. There is not a single word of truth in them,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian, speaking at today’s daily press briefing. [Hegseth]((https://pa.usembassy.gov/defense-secretary-pete-hegseth-delivers-opening-remarks-at-2025-central-american-security-conference-in-panama-city/), who also ordered the Panamanian government to cede greater control to U.S. military forces to “protect” the Panama Canal, charged that China’s military “has too large of a presence in the Western Hemisphere. They operate military facilities and ground stations that extend their reach into space. They exploit natural resources and land to fuel China’s global military ambitions.”
Responding to a question about these statements from China Daily, Lin Jian minced no words. “Who sees Latin America and the Caribbean as a backyard and forces the `Neo-Monroe Doctrine’ on them? Who keeps pointing fingers at the domestic affairs of these countries? Who’s been coercing them with tariff threats? Who’s engaged in massive global surveillance? Who’s got military bases all over the Western Hemisphere? Who’s letting small arms and light weapons and ammunition flow into Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace? The world knows full well the answer to these questions.”
