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Washington says China is a threat to the environment in Latin America

A US official on Wednesday accused Chinese companies of building faulty hydroelectric dams in Ecuador, as well as exploiting oil and minerals there.

The megaprojects financed by China are causing “damage” to the environment in Latin America, a region also plagued by organized crime and drug trafficking, Laura Richardson, head of the United States Southern Command (Southcom), said Wednesday.

“Actors like the People’s Republic of China are also causing damage in our region,” he said, according to the official translation, at the South American Defense Conference taking place in Quito.

“Independent studies by Latin American organizations have concluded that many Chinese-funded megaprojects cause river erosion, water pollution, the destruction of fertile land, and the destabilization of fragile ecosystems,” he said.

Richardson takes aim at disinformation

The South American Defense Conference “Southdec 2022”, in which representatives from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname and Uruguay participate, takes place until Thursday in the Ecuadorian capital.

It is expected that the meeting will address issues such as drug trafficking, illegal mining and fishing, organized crime and cyber defense.

According to Laura Richardson, organizations linked to China “try to manipulate the population through disinformation campaigns and malicious cyber activities and continue to support authoritarian regimes in Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua.”

Ecuador is immersed in a war against drug traffickers, who are vying for power in the streets and prisons, unleashing a wave of crime.

Author: GA with AFP
Source: BFM TV

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