Around the world, illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing not only destroys local economies but also the environment. “IUU and unsustainable fishing affects us right here in the Western Hemisphere,” Jon Piechowski, deputy assistant secretary for the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs at the U.S. State Department said on October [ … ]
After plundering the marine fauna near the Galapagos Islands, in Ecuador, a gigantic fleet of Chinese fishing vessels is heading toward southern waters, threatening the ecosystems of Chile and Argentina. The nearly 300 industrial vessels that fish for squid (known as jiggers), are 60 to 80 meters long and have [ … ]
China offers predatory loans that lead countries to become over-indebted, makes seemingly disinterested donations, and its companies make large infrastructure investments. This tactic is not new, and the Asian nation uses it to expand its influence in strategic areas around the world. The goal is always the same: to create [ … ]
In November, the Peruvian government passed a decree ordering all foreign-flagged vessels operating in Peruvian waters to use an additional satellite device starting January 1, 2021. This will enable authorities to know the routes and movements of each vessel with greater precision. On October 18, Ecuadorean Foreign Minister Luis Gallego [ … ]
On October 13, I presented work on foreign deepwater fishing fleets in Latin America, to a virtual event held by the highly respected World Commission on Environmental Law (WCEL). The event was held as 340 fishing vessels, mostly Chinese, moved from the Galápagos Islands, where they were believed to have illegally fished in a United Nations World [ … ]
The People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) state-owned companies are destroying the environment in countries around the world, one corrupt infrastructure project at a time. The PRC is the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases and mercury pollution and the leading consumer of illegal wildlife and timber products. And the PRC’s [ … ]
On the 90th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), August 1, 2017, China opened its first overseas naval base in the eastern African country of Djibouti. Questions regarding China’s future intentions quickly ensued: Would China open another such facility? If so, where and how soon? Though [ … ]
Over the last 10 years, China has flooded Latin America with money, with more than $117 billion in loans, making the region one of the world’s most indebted to the Chinese government. The conditions of these loans, which some politicians have described as predatory, worry economists. Latin America, along with [ … ]
China’s expansive presence is causing a negative impact on different Latin American countries. Destruction of ecosystems, corruption, crime, and unfair competition are some of the shadows that China casts over the region. The ecological sector is among the most affected. Chinese fishing vessels are depleting marine resources and protected maritime [ … ]
At the 2018 United Nations General Assembly, U.S. President Donald Trump boasted, “It has been the formal policy of our country since President [James] Monroe that we reject the interference of foreign nations in this hemisphere.” In 1823, Monroe was referring principally to Western European powers whose imperial designs knew [ … ]
Argentina purchased 170,000 Chinese rapid test kits to monitor the spread of the novel coronavirus. A report by the COVID-19 Unit of the Argentine Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation concluded that the Chinese kits presented false readings, and only detect one of the two antibodies they were designed to [ … ]
In mid-January 2020, Chilean security forces made the largest seizure of contraband copper, about 80 tons estimated at $305 million, found in a junkyard of the Lampa community, 22 miles northwest of Santiago de Chile. Chile’s Investigations Police (PDI, in Spanish) said in a press conference that the metal was [ … ]
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