China could be the beneficiary of Trump’s arm-twisting of Colombia and others
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Colombia’s run-in with Donald Trump is a warning to other countries trying to decipher the US president’s haphazard decision-making process. As Asian nations realize that Trump’s second term could be even more erratic than his first, China is ready to take advantage of the chaos.
Trump’s latest move to impose 25% tariffs on an ally for not complying with his deportation demands should serve as a wake-up call. Even though the levies were quickly reversed, he achieved what he presumably set out to do: Show the world who’s boss. “This reminds governments that this is a president that behaves on a whim," Deborah Elms, head of trade policy at the Hinrich Foundation in Singapore, told me.
“You never would have imagined before that the US would impose immediate harsh penalties on a really important ally, in a really important region. If you can do it to Colombia, you can do that to anyone." China will take every opportunity to step in. Beijing was already cosying up to Bogotá before the spat with Washington, but has been accused of exploiting the situation further.
Zhu Jingyang, China’s ambassador to Colombia, told the local newspaper El Tiempo that relations between the Asian and Latin American countries were “at the best moment" since establishing diplomatic ties 45 years ago, adding they “are global cultural powers." He went even further, saying that their differences “far from creating obstacles, bring us closer and enrich us." Losing a key US ally to China’s influence is a reckless move at best, foolish at worst. Historical ties with Washington have meant that Colombia has in the past approached Beijing with a greater degree of caution than many of its neighbours. South American, North
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