Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian Photo: Chinese Foreign Ministry

In response to US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's remarks at a regional security conference that the Panama Canal faces ongoing threats from China, claiming that "China's military has too large of a presence in the Western Hemisphere," and commenting on US Deputy Secretary Landau's claims which emphasized the importance of a collaboration on 5G, cybersecurity, and AI, and the need to prevent China from accessing El Salvador's critical infrastructure, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Monday that the remarks from the US officials are filled with ideological bias and cold war mentality, and they represent outright lies and fallacies.

Lin refuted the relevant claims from the US with six questions. Who is it that views Latin America and the Caribbean as its "backyard," resurrecting and promoting new Monroe Doctrine in Latin America? Who is it that flagrantly interferes in the internal affairs of Latin American and Caribbean nations? Who is it that wields the big stick of tariffs to coerce countries in Latin America and the Caribbean? Who is it that engages in global surveillance and espionage on a massive scale? Who is it that has military bases spread across the Western Hemisphere? And who is it that allows the unchecked flow of small arms and ammunition into Latin America's zones of peace?

"The world sees clearly that China-Latin America cooperation is a form of South-South cooperation, based solely on mutual support without geopolitical calculations," Lin said. 

China has always adhered to the principles of equality and mutual benefit in its interactions with Latin American and Caribbean countries, never seeking a sphere of influence or targeting any third party, according to Lin.

The repeated exaggeration of the "China threat" is merely an excuse to control Latin America and the Caribbean, which is destined to fail, he said.

Global Times