Chinese foreign policy experts ridicule Trump’s colonial policy towards Ibero-America, Global Times reports. Under a title noting that the summit is aimed at “coercing ‘backyard countries’ to follow suit of US dominance,” they note first that “the conspicuous no-shows were the heads of state from regional heavyweights Brazil, Mexico and Colombia.”
The Chinese daily quotes Wang Youming, director of the Department for Developing Countries Studies at the China Institute of International Studies: “Presented as a coalition to combat drug trafficking, the summit was in reality a gathering of the ideologically aligned,” Wang told the Global Times. “By bringing together Trump’s loyal allies and leaders who won office with his backing, the administration sought to tighten its control over what it views as its strategic backyard—effectively solidifying a modern-day Monroe Doctrine to strengthen US dominance in the Western Hemisphere.”
Ironically, despite Trump’s full commitment to the summit, its effectiveness is unlikely to match its ambitions, the expert added. “Playing games among small circles in Latin America does not wield genuine influence, but will only intensify divisions among regional countries,” Wang stated.
