Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa was in China last week as part of an international tour, also including Italy and Spain, and met with President Xi Jinping on June 27, to discuss strengthening ties across various fields, as well as promoting the Belt and Road Initiative, to which his country has belonged since 2018. Against the backdrop of a desperate economic and security crisis, Noboa is in search of expanded trade, investment, particularly in infrastructure and repair of Ecuador’s collapsed energy grid. The country is in an acute debt crisis. As Ecuador is an export-dependent country, Noboa hopes to gain greater access to the Chinese market as well. China is Ecuador’s second largest trading partner, after the U.S.
To date, Noboa has made much of his political alliance with U.S. President Donald Trump, his support for Israel and basic alignment with U.S. foreign policy which isn’t about to change. He has sought U.S. military support, reinstatement of a U.S. military base and even deployment of U.S. troops arguing they are needed to fight drug cartels that have taken over much of the country. This trip to China will not sit well with Trump and the many China-bashers in his administration. But Foreign Minister Gabriela Sommerfeld explained in an interview with CNN en español that Noboa’s trip to China reflects Ecuador’s “pragmatic foreign policy based on mutual respect for nations. Ecuador has a unique agenda of cooperation and work based on the interests we maintain with each country.” She carefully explained that Ecuador’s agenda with China is not necessarily the same as the one it has with the U.S. or the EU. Left unstated is that U.S. aid to Ecuador is likely conditioned on the desires of London and Wall Street bankers..
