Senior U.S. policy makers took aim at China on Wednesday over its approach to Latin America, accusing Beijing of breaching economic norms and urging it to do more to help combat the illegal fentanyl trade.
Testifying before a House of Representatives subcommittee, Brian Nichols, assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere Affairs, reiterated the Biden administration’s view that China’s commercial inroads in the region have been marked by a "lack of transparency” in deals with "strings attached.”
Nichols said Latin American countries have grown tired of China’s investment tactics, feeling "buyer’s remorse,” and that the United States needs to provide a viable alternative through diplomacy, foreign aid and private investment.