lørdag 15. august 2020

Pandemic power play: It's China vs. the US in Latin America

At first glance, the picture China's ambassador to Barbados tweeted on July 23 shows nothing more than an online meeting — a typical, screen-based representation of what life has become during the pandemic. The digital get-together was to announce that Beijing had agreed to give a $1 billion loan to Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries to help them secure an eventual Covid-19 vaccine developed by China. 

Like most online meetings, and any photos of them, this one was largely dull. But let's make it more interesting. Look at the photo again. China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi looms large in the center of the screen. He's surrounded by about a dozen foreign ministers from LAC countries. They're all there, in part, to thank China for coming to their aid.