In the midst of the Communist virus epidemic, what are the implications for the U.S. “backyard” as a result of Chinese vaccine diplomacy in Latin America? What should be done to defend against it? The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC), a standing Congressional research body, held its first hearing on China-Latin America relations on Thursday (May 19).
USCC Chairman Carolyn Bartholomew said, “Despite questions about (China’s) vaccine effectiveness, Beijing continues to use vaccines as leverage and to appeal to Latin American and Caribbean governments.”
Over the past year, she said, the Chinese Communist Party has stepped up its diplomatic efforts in Latin America, and in addition to trying to reverse the public relations disaster of the Communist virus (Neocoronavirus) outbreak, they have simultaneously spread disinformation about the United States “to the point of overexertion.”
When the first Chinese CoronaVac vaccines were first introduced in Latin America, Beijing began to lash out at Europe and the United States, saying that these rich countries had done little to ensure rapid access to the vaccine in poorer countries; now, Beijing has shifted to touting that it has helped Latin America cross the “immunization gap” with the vaccine, while accusing the United States of “stockpiling” the vaccine. Now, Beijing is turning to its own brand of helping Latin America cross the “immunization gap” with vaccines, while accusing the United States of “hoarding” vaccines.
Communist China plays the vaccine card in Latin America to promote Huawei
R. Evan Ellis, a professor of Latin American studies at the United States Army War College Strategic Studies Institute, told a USCC hearing that the new crown epidemic in Latin America has given Beijing an opportunity to expand in Latin America and the Caribbean an opportunity to expand and increase their leverage.
In Brazil and the Dominican Republic, China used the vaccine as leverage to demand that the governments of those countries retract their decision to once exclude Chinese telecommunications company Huawei from their 5G networks,” he said. In Paraguay, China tried to use the vaccine to lure the Paraguayan government into abandoning Taiwan. In Honduras, President Juan Orlando Hernandez promised to open a trade office in China in order to obtain the new crown vaccine.”
The Dominican Republic had joined the Trump administration’s “clean network” plan to exclude Huawei from the country’s 5G buildout. In February, Dominican President Luis Abinader said the country’s 5G network would not exclude Huawei.
In Brazil, Leonardo Euler, president of Brazil’s National Communications Authority (Anatel), said in April that the Brazilian government would not ban Huawei from participating in this June’s 5G spectrum auction. The government of Brazilian President Jose Bosonaro last year banned Huawei from bidding to provide 5G networks for Brazilian operators. There were also reports that Brazilian Communications Minister Fábio Faria asked Huawei to provide vaccines for Brazil when he met with Huawei executives in Beijing in February. Currently, 85 percent of Brazil’s vaccines come from China’s Kexing.
In contrast to the early days of the outbreak, some countries in Latin America believe that policy failures by the Chinese Communist Party caused the virus to spread globally. Eduardo Bolsonaro, the son of the Brazilian president and then chairman of the House Foreign Relations Committee, even criticized the CCP’s authoritarianism for slowing down the prevention of the epidemic.
US criticized for stealing Taiwan’s allies with vaccines
The Chinese Communist Party has been seeking to strengthen relations with the rest of the world through vaccine diplomacy, and isolating Taiwan and getting Latin American and Caribbean countries to abandon ties with Taiwan is one of Beijing’s key political goals. Taiwan has 15 diplomatic allies around the world, nine of which are in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Paraguayan Foreign Minister Euclides Acevedo pressed the U.S. and Taiwan in March that Beijing had made clear its interest in establishing diplomatic relations with Paraguay.
Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez said on May 11 that he would build a “diplomatic bridge” and open a trade office on the mainland to buy Chinese vaccines, as suggested by the Chinese Communist Party.
Several neighboring Latin American countries have received the first shipment of Chinese vaccines, but countries that have diplomatic relations with Taiwan, such as Honduras, Paraguay and Guatemala, have not had access to them. Vaccines have become a diplomatic tool, as well as a diplomatic resource, for the Chinese Communist Party.
A State Department spokesman said publicly on May 13 that the U.S. condemns such self-serving behavior by Beijing, which “uses potentially life-saving medical aid to advance the narrow political agendas of donor countries.
The Biden administration also announced May 17 that it would distribute about 80 million doses of the New Crown vaccine worldwide by the end of June. Gayle Smith, the State Department’s vaccine coordinator, said in a telephone briefing on May 19 that the most needy and effective distribution method would be considered, and that the situation in Latin America had been a primary consideration for the United States.
The Financial Times quoted a Biden administration official as saying that vaccine distribution would be prioritized for Latin America, which is under intense pressure from the Chinese Communist Party.
In addition, the effectiveness of Chinese vaccines has been questioned and lags far behind that of U.S. vaccines. Derek Scissors, a member of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC), said the Chinese Communist Party’s vaccine diplomacy is not terrible, “Chinese vaccines go through ups and downs because of their own [effectiveness]. The U.S. doesn’t need to make a big investment in this.”
Be Wary of Communist China’s Support for Anti-U.S. Leftist Populism
Beijing’s support for leftist populism in Latin America and the Caribbean is the biggest threat to the U.S. and the region because most likely it will threaten the foundations of democracy in the region, said Ellis of the U.S. Army War College’s Strategic Studies Institute.
“China (the Chinese Communist Party) is an incubator for anti-American leftist populism, which in turn opens the door for further Chinese growth (in Latin America),” he said.
Ellis said the initial rise to power of multiple Latin American leaders, such as Venezuela’s Chavez, Ecuador’s Rafael Correa and Bolivia’s Evo Morales, was not directly related to the CCP’s activities in the region.
“Once (they) come to power, Chinese loans and other resources are critical to their consolidation and continuation of power. They will change the system, reduce transparency, undermine democratic institutions, etc.,” Ellis said.
These populist governments, in turn, have become the CCP’s biggest partners in Latin America and the Caribbean, he said, not only by promoting non-transparent government-to-government infrastructure projects, but also by increasing military engagement with the CCP’s military and becoming partners in the CCP’s technology and space activities.
Venezuela, Ecuador and Bolivia have all purchased military products from China. Venezuelan air defense forces reportedly used their Chinese-made JY-27 radar to detect a U.S. Air Force F-22 stealth fighter flying close to Venezuelan airspace. Bolivia has ordered a number of light armored vehicles from China. Recently, it was reported that Argentina intends to purchase 12 JF-17 Dragon fighter jets from China.
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