Tillerson Warns about the Expansion of China and Russia in Latin America

Published in El País
(Spain) on 2 February 2018
by Jan Martínez Ahrens (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Antonio Sánchez. Edited by Elizabeth Cosgriff.
The secretary of state today starts his tour of Mexico, Argentina, Peru and Colombia

America is not a continent but an ensemble of values. And the threatening shadow of China and Russia extends over them; two countries that have an economic influence on the region, but who are foreign to their democratic aspirations. This is the doctrine Rex Tillerson, [U.S.] secretary of state, will rely on during his first tour of Latin America, which starts today. The trip will take him to Mexico, Argentina, Peru and Colombia and will focus on a country he will not visit: Venezuela, which is the main threat to the continent's stability. "I am sure that he’s got some friends over in Cuba that could give him a nice hacienda on the beach and he could have a nice life over there," Tillerson joked.

The secretary of state shone in Austin. During a speech at the University of Texas, his alma mater, Donald Trump's administration showed its best face. Tillerson was relaxed. He smiled and bluntly answered students' questions. Before that, he read a 40-minute speech that focused on three points: economic growth, security and democratic governance. The triad that summarizes the goals of his tour and the three pillars that China and Russia are threatening. First, by exporting an exploitation model based, according to Tillerson, on low salaries and the disregarding of human rights; second, by selling weapons to non-democratic regimes. "Latin America does not need new imperial powers that seek only to benefit their own people. … The United States stands in vivid contrast. We do not seek short-term deals with lopsided returns. We seek partners with shared values and visions to create a safe, secure, and prosperous hemisphere."

Economy
Tillerson believes that America is a source of prosperity for the United States. There is a trade surplus and a dense network of economic exchanges. In this context, NAFTA’s renegotiation means the actualization of an agreement that came into force in 1994. "An agreement put into place 30 years ago, before the advent of the digital age and the digital economy, before China’s rise as the world’s second-largest economy – that NAFTA would need to be modernized." It needs to be adapted to the "global world of competition and trade,” the secretary of state said. As the former executive of the Exxon oil company, Tillerson highlighted the continent's energy prospects, as well as the advantages of the American exploitation model. "There are great growth opportunities in this sector. In the future, America will have more capability than the rest of the world combined. Some $70 billion is being invested in power generation plants, so we have to start thinking about the model we want to develop," Lydia Barraza, a State Department spokesperson, explains.

Security
For the State Department, the economy and security go hand in hand. The more prosperity, the fewer crimes. With this approach, Tillerson wanted to underline the importance of combating transnational criminal organizations, responsible for traffic in weapons, drugs and human beings. “We don’t like to admit it, but we’re the market. The United States accounts for the vast, vast, vast majority of illicit drug consumption in the world,” the secretary of state admitted. At this point, he announced his desire to strengthen ties with Mexico by attacking cartels' income sources, as well as their production and distribution bases. He gave a little warning to Colombia too: "Colombia has been one of our strongest partners in the region. [...] We continue to support this sustainable peace, but challenges do remain. Colombia is the world’s largest producer of cocaine – the source of 92 percent of the cocaine seized in the United States,” he stated.

Democratic Governance
Venezuela and Cuba were the central axis of Tillerson's discourse. He made clear that he dismissed all military intervention against Nicolás Maduro, but also that the regime must get back to the constitution and submit to democratic elections. This is the goal of Washington's bans against Caracas; bans that, according to the secretary of state, were meant to avoid the Venezuelan people's suffering. "It would be a good idea that Maduro's government gave the power back to the citizens and stopped destroying the country's economy," Lydia Barraza pointed out.

Concerning Havana, Tillerson said that the relationship's future is in the Castrist regime's hands. He recalled that the United States is already working on a model that "supports the Cuban people by steering economic activity away from the military, intelligence, and security service which disregard their freedom.” “Cuba has an opportunity in their own transfer of power from decades of the Castro regime to take a new direction," he said, referring to Raúl Castro's approaching retirement.





Tillerson alerta de la expansión de China y Rusia en América Latina
El secretario de Estado inicia hoy su gira por México, Argentina, Perú y Colombia

Washington 2 FEB 2018 - 03:13 CET
América no es un continente, sino un conjunto de valores. Y sobre ellos se extiende la amenazante sombra de China y Rusia, dos países que han expandido su influencia económica en la región pero que son ajenos a sus aspiraciones democráticas. Esta es la doctrina con la que el secretario de Estado, Rex Tillerson, emprende hoy su primera gira latinoamericana. El viaje, que le llevará por México, Argentina, Perú y Colombia, tendrá como protagonista un país que no visitará: Venezuela. El punto negro de la estabilidad continental. “No me molestaría que Nicolás Maduro se fuera a una playa cubana”, bromeó Tillerson.

El secretario de Estado brilló en Austin. En una conferencia en la Universidad de Texas, su alma máter, mostró la mejor cara de la Administración de Donald Trump. Estuvo distendido, sonriente y respondió sin tapujos a las preguntas que le formuló la audiencia estudiantil. Antes, leyó un discurso, de unos 40 minutos, que centró en tres puntos: economía, seguridad y democracia. Una triada que resume los objetivos de su viaje y sobre la que se cierne la amenaza de China y Rusia. El primero por exportar un modelo de explotación basado, según Tillerson, en los bajos salarios y el desprecio a los derechos humanos; y el segundo por vender armas a regímenes no democráticos. “América Latina no necesita de nuevos poderes imperiales que solo miran por su interés. Estados Unidos es distinto: no buscamos acuerdos a corto plazo con ganancias asimétricas, nosotros buscamos socios", dijo.


Economía. Tillerson defendió la idea de que América es un foco de prosperidad para Estados Unidos. Hay superávit comercial y una espesa red de intercambios económicos. En este contexto, la renegociación del Tratado de Libre Comercio supone la actualización de un acuerdo que entró en vigor en 1994. “Fue hecho antes de la era digital y de la expansión de China. Ahora necesita adaptarse a los nuevos tiempos para preservar la competitividad de la zona”, señaló el secretario del Estado. Antiguo directivo de la petrolera Exxon, Tillerson destacó las posibilidades energéticas del continente y del modelo de explotación estadounidense. "En este sector hay grandes posibilidades de desarrollo. En el futuro, América tendrá una capacidad mayor que el resto del mundo combinado. Se van a invertir 70.000 millones en plantas energéticas y hay que ir tratando ya el modelo que se quiere diseñar", detalló la portavoz del Departamento de Estado, Lydia Barraza.
"Seguridad. Para el Departamento de Estados la economía y la seguridad van de la mano. A mayor prosperidad, menos delito. Bajo este enfoque, Tillerson puso el acento en el combate a las organizaciones criminales trasnacionales. Tanto por el tráfico de armas como de drogas o seres humanos. “No nos gusta reconocerlo, pero nosotros somos el principal mercado de drogas”, admitió el jefe de la diplomacia estadounidense. En este punto, anunció su deseo de fortalecer los lazos con México, atacando las fuentes de financiación de los cárteles, así como sus bases de producción y distribución, y lanzó una ligera advertencia a Colombia. “Es un fiel aliado, pero quedan retos por superar. Sigue siendo el mayor productor mundial de cocaína y el principal proveedor de Estados Unidos”, afirmó.

Democracia. El eje de la intervención de Tillerson fueron Venezuela y Cuba. Dejó claro que rechaza cualquier intervención militar contra Maduro, pero que el régimen debe volver a la Constitución y someterse a unas elecciones democráticas. A este objetivo se dirigen las sanciones adoptadas por Washington contra Caracas y que, según el secretario de Estado, han tratado de evitar el sufrimiento del pueblo venezolano. "Una buena idea sería que el Gobierno de Maduro devolviese el poder a sus ciudadanos y dejase de destruir la economía", señaló la portavoz Lydia Barraza.
Sobre La Habana, el secretario de Estado señaló que el futuro de la relación está en manos del régimen castrista. Estados Unidos, recordó Tillerson, ya ha puesto en marcha un nuevo equilibrio basado en “apoyar al pueblo cubano, pero no al aparato militar”. “Cuba va a atravesar una transición poder [en referencia a la próxima retirada de Raúl Castro de la jefatura del Estado] y tiene la oportunidad, tras décadas de régimen castrista de adoptar una nueva dirección”, dijo.
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