Anna Gustafson and Ellyn Chatham
This month, Colombia announced it has officially joined the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), an international development institution backed by the Chinese Communist Party. The initiative was designed with the intent to increase China’s global monetary influence through strategic infrastructure investments. This unfortunate news comes just months after Panama made the impressive decision to become the first country leave the BRI.
That Colombia, an American ally, would accept support from a U.S. adversary, points to a fundamental issue: the U.S. is not effectively countering China’s economic warfare.
Therefore, to protect our allies across the globe, Washington must commit to the shift from ineffective grant-based USAID to the America First aligned Development Finance Corporation.
Appealing to Colombia’s underutilized Pacific coast and a $14 billion trade deficit, Xi Jinping was able to convince Colombia’s Marxist President Gustavo Petro to sign a deal promising a commercial trade route from Shanghai to Puerto Buenaventura.
Colombia has long been one of America’s closest allies in the Western Hemisphere and the two have a strong and effective partnership. After decades of conservative leadership in Bogota, resulting in a more prosperous and secure Colombia, it is a shame Colombia’s leftist leader is opting to accept CCP funds.
But these instances are, unfortunately, not unique to Colombia. Developing nations cannot help but accept billion dollar offers by the CCP, especially when some politicians are paid to pursue dangerous BRI deals.
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