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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has extended an invitation to Latin American leaders for a summit in Florida next month. This gathering is scheduled at a time when the administration is highlighting its concerns about China’s growing influence in the region.
A White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the lack of a formal announcement, confirmed plans for the March 7 summit. This meeting will precede Trump’s anticipated visit to Beijing for discussions with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The Trump administration has prioritized asserting its influence in the Western Hemisphere, countering China’s longstanding presence which has been established through significant loans and extensive trade agreements.
This week, Gen. Dan Caine, head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, hosted a meeting in Washington with defense leaders and senior military officials from 34 countries across the Western Hemisphere. During this event, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth emphasized the administration’s commitment to achieving “permanent peace in this hemisphere.”
In a bold move last month, the U.S. administration initiated a military operation aimed at removing Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, planning to bring him and his wife to New York to face federal charges related to drug conspiracy.
Trump has since rationalized the ouster and his subsequent push for the U.S. to maintain oversight of Venezuela’s oil industry by pointing to concerns about Chinese and Russian influence on the South American country.
“One thing I think everyone has to know is that if we didn’t do this, China or Russia would have done it,” Trump told oil industry officials at a White House meeting just days after Maduro’s capture.
China is the largest purchaser of Venezuelan oil, though the purchases only account for a small fraction of Beijing’s overall seaborne imports.
Trump has also threatened to seize control of the Panama Canal, saying the waterway was “vital to our country” and falsely claiming, “it’s being operated by China.”
The Panama Canal — a crucial trade passage that links the Atlantic and Pacific – was built by the U.S. in the early 20th century. It was then operated by the U.S. for decades before Washington handed full control of the canal to Panama in 1999. Panama’s high court recently annulled Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison’s contract to operate two ports on the canal.
Trump thrust Panama into the spotlight even before winning a second term in the White House, suggesting the U.S. consider retaking control of the canal and accusing Panama of ceding influence to China.
The Trump administration this week also expressed concern over China’s control over critical infrastructure in Peru after a Peruvian court ruling restricted a local regulator’s oversight of Chinese-built deepwater port Chancay.
The U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs said on social media on Wednesday that it was concerned that “Peru could be powerless to oversee Chancay, one of its largest ports, which is under the jurisdiction of predatory Chinese owners.”
The department said: “We support Peru’s sovereign right to oversee critical infrastructure in its own territory. Let this be a cautionary tale for the region and the world: cheap Chinese money costs sovereignty.”