China sparks risk ‘worse than Cuban missile disaster’ with US state affect

Political experts are getting worried about China’s global investments, appearing to be making some strategic decisions and allegedly increasing communist influence

Experts fear China’s involvement in Latin America and the Caribbean, dreading the global power’s potential influence in US politics.

According to a House Foreign Affairs Committee, reports show that China invested upwards of $10 billion in six Caribbean countries between 2005 and 2022. Guyana, Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda, Trinidad and Tobago, the Bahamas, and Cuba all received funding for Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative.

Panama also appears to be a target for investment, where bids have been revealed for a $4 billion high-speed train. China hopes these investments will enhance trade and economic co-operation throughout Asia, targeting the agriculture, energy, transport, and tourism sectors.

International arbitration lawyer, Tiffany Compres, previously said of China’s investments: “…China has been getting very involved in building ports and critical infrastructure in a lot of the developing world, and that includes Latin America”.

However, as tensions rise over trade in the US following President Trump’s 25% taxation on Canadian and Chinese imports, experts worry China may soon be getting involved in US politics.

Vincent Wang, a dean of New York’s Adelphi University, warned of China’s growing stronghold. Mr. Wang told Newsweek: “One of the most remarkable gains in Chinese foreign policy in recent years is the increasing power and presence of the communist state in Latin America and the Caribbean, a region traditionally considered America’s backyard.”

He then added: “China is interested in getting involved in U.S. electoral politics. I would say that the threat posed by China today is more serious than the threat posed by the Soviet Union during the 1962 Cuban missile crisis.”

A spokesperson from the Chinese embassy in Washington dismissed these claims, instead pointing to growing relations as merely providing ‘options’.

The source said: “Cooperation between China and LAC countries has won popular support because it respects the will of the people, meets the needs of regional countries, and provides reliable options and broad prospects for the revitalisation of the region.

“We take no interest in interfering in the internal affairs of any countries, including the elections in the U.S.”

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