The downing of a Chinese balloon in the United States and the revelation that similar devices flew over several countries in Latin America set alarm bells ringing about the Xi Jinping regime’s true intentions in the region.
While the interpretation of the target pursued by the Chinese balloon focuses on military espionage in the United States, according to former Cuban-American diplomat and political analyst Luis Zúñiga, “it is very likely that other economic and structural objectives were part of the mission, with a view on in Latin America.
On February 4, a US plane shot down a Communist Chinese hot air balloon, which was discovered after flying diagonally across US territory, over areas where nuclear weapons facilities are located.
Shortly after the information about the balloon became known in the US, it was reported that another Chinese aircraft with the same characteristics had performed maneuvers in the airspace of several Latin American countries.
According to Zúñiga, China’s global hegemony strategy includes Latin America, a region rich in natural resources and geographically close to the US. China already has spy bases in Cuba, one for eavesdropping on communications and another for espionage from military satellites.”
China’s foreign ministry justified that “the balloon has civilian purposes and is being used for a test flight. Unfortunately, it deviated from its route due to weather conditions and its poor maneuverability.
Contrary to what Chinese authorities claimed, the US Department of Defense stated that the balloon crossing US airspace “had a rudder and a propeller to move under its own power” and “change direction”.
The balloon’s flight over alleged espionage over Colombia, Venezuela and Costa Rica was not mentioned by China, when it acknowledged that the device flying over the US belonged to it. The information came out two days later, after the issue was raised by US General Patrick Ryder.
The international policy expert said that “the intention to hide this flight over Latin American countries reveals that the Chinese intentions with that balloon were not good.”
He also said that “the supreme goal of communist regimes, and especially those who reach the category of military power, is to achieve global hegemony that would place the world under their ideology and control.”
According to Zúñiga’s analysis, China would try to “identify US military installations in Latin America and the type of weapons contained therein”. In addition, “Jinping would be interested in airports, the expansion of runways, fuel storage and port facilities.”
China has acquired significant geopolitical influence in Latin America, including through trade alliances. However, the covid-19 pandemic hit the Asian giant’s finances and since then the volume of loans to various countries in the region has plummeted.
For Zúñiga: “Latin America needs to understand that the Chinese communist regime is not a friend of any of our countries. In its macro strategy, our countries are merely instruments that would serve China for its highest purpose.”
He pointed out that these “spy balloon” flights show that “China’s communist regime seeks more than political and diplomatic influence”, betting on “controlling or, if necessary, taking the domain of some countries by force”.
Source: El heraldo
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
