Russia and China Are Bulking Up in the U.S.s Backyard

[Judi Lynn]

Putin and Xi are working to win over small, poor countries with promises
of aid, military support, and investment, even as Trump scales back.
by Ezra Fieser
June 5, 2017, 3:40 PM CDT June 6, 2017, 6:19 PM CDT
From Bloomberg Businessweek


As supplies of crude from its old ally Venezuela dwindled last year, Cuba began turning out the lights in government offices and shuttering oil refineries. Then, Havana turned to an old friend for help: Russia. In early May the Kremlin sent a tanker full of fuel across the Atlantic as part of a deal to keep the communist island running for three months. It was the first such shipment Cuba had received in years from its former benefactor, but it wasn’t the only sign Russia has returned to a region it had all but abandoned after the Cold War. Moscow is building a satellite-tracking station in Managua and considering reopening Soviet-era military bases in the region, as well as expanding economic ties and doling out aid in countries across Central America and the Caribbean. President Vladimir Putin has even offered to restore the Capitol building in Havana, which bears a striking resemblance to the one in Washington.

“This could purely be a way of the Russians telling the gringos, ‘Be careful, we can come back to your backyard,’?” says Jorge Piñon, director of the Latin America and Caribbean Energy Program at the University of Texas at Austin, who estimates Russia’s fuel shipments to Cuba are worth more than $100 million. “Or it’s a long-term strategic commitment, and this is the first building block of a considerable investment in the region.”

China also has been building up its presence in the Caribbean Basin. Chinese companies and the government have poured $6 billion into the area since 2012, according to a tally of large investments by the American Enterprise Institute. Beijing’s interest isn’t just economic: It wants to persuade the Dominican Republic and 10 other countries in the region to sever their diplomatic ties with Taiwan as it seeks to curtail its rival’s role on the international stage. The People’s Republic of China considers Taiwan part of its territory under its One China policy. For years, Beijing and Taiwan competed for diplomatic allegiances promising low-cost loans and outright aid. But in 2007, when Costa Rica switched from Taiwan to Beijing, the two governments entered a détente. That may have changed with the election of Taiwan’s pro-independence leader Tsai Ing-wen, whom U.S. President Donald Trump telephoned after the November election. After the phone call, Beijing convinced the tiny African island nation São Tomé and Príncipe to cut ties with Taiwan. Tsai quickly arranged a trip to Central America in January, visiting three countries to shore up relations.

A top diplomat from one Caribbean country, who spoke on condition of anonymity, expects several countries to switch allegiances over the next year or two, as more Chinese money flows in: “You’ll see these countries leave Taiwan in bunches.”

More:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-06-05/russia-and-china-are-bulking-up-in-the-u-s-s-backyard

[OhNo-Really]

1. Great catch Judi

Back to the old cold war + China

Do we risk seeing developments like this while riveted to the DC Drama?