(Los Angeles) Joe Biden arrived in Los Angeles on Wednesday for a Summit of the Americas supposed to relaunch the relationship with Latin America, with great promises of partnership, but without sensational financial announcements.
Updated yesterday at 7:22 p.m.
He landed early in the afternoon in California to meet the heads of state and government invited for a week of discussions in the United States.
Among them, far-right Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, with whom he will have his first bilateral meeting on Thursday.
It promises to be delicate, the White House assuring that Joe Biden intends to address the subject of the next elections in Brazil, highly contentious for Jair Bolsonaro.
The latter, who is seeking a second term, but who is struggling in the polls, is critical of his country’s electoral system, as if he was already considering contesting a possible defeat.
Joe Biden wants to reinvigorate regional relations that have not been at the forefront of his presidency so far, monopolized by the war in Ukraine and the rivalry with China.
But China, in fact, has considerably developed its presence in a region that Washington has long considered its backyard, with heavy investments in energy, generous infrastructure financing, arms sales and deliveries of vaccines against COVID-19.
Eleven visits by Xi Jinping
The Council of Foreign Relations has counted Chinese President Xi Jinping to have visited the region 11 times since taking office in 2013.
Joe Biden has not visited Latin America since taking office in January 2021.
Washington does not intend to respond to China with aggressive financial announcements.
“The United States has never considered that its advantage in the world consists only of raising immense sums of public money,” said the White House’s top diplomatic adviser, Jake Sullivan.
Rather, the US goal would be to “unlock significant amounts of private finance to enable inclusive economic growth” on the continent, he said.
The United States has nevertheless announced a $100 million plan to train half a million health professionals in Latin America. And Joe Biden will unveil a $300 million food security package, Jake Sullivan has said.
The US executive also presented on Wednesday a “Partnership of the Americas for Economic Prosperity”.
It is, according to the Americans, to revitalize regional institutions such as the Inter-American Development Bank, or to fight against climate change and corruption while developing trade.
But there is no longer any question, as at the first Summit of the Americas in 1994, in Miami, of thunderously extolling the virtues of free trade, which is no longer favored by governments or public opinion.
Since that first edition, the United States has lost influence in the region, as the rather chaotic launch of the summit showed.
Immigration
Mexican President Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador thus decided to shun the meeting to protest against the fact that neither Cuba, nor Venezuela, nor Nicaragua had been invited by the White House, due to “reservations” on democracy in these three countries.
The absence of the Mexican president risks weighing heavily on discussions around immigration, a major domestic political issue for Joe Biden.
The Republican opposition taxes him with laxity, while many migrants regularly arrive at the southern border of the United States.
Washington intends to have Los Angeles adopt a major regional declaration on the subject, the outlines of which are still unclear.
On Tuesday, US Vice President Kamala Harris announced private sector commitments totaling $1.9 billion to support job creation in Central America and discourage outflows to the United States.
Guaidó recognized as “interim president”, but not invited
Joe Biden reaffirmed his support for Juan Guaidó, leader of the Venezuelan opposition whom Washington recognizes as “interim president”, on the sidelines of the Summit of the Americas, for which neither he nor the current power in Caracas were invited.
Photo provided by juan guaido’s team, via Agence France-Presse
Juan Guaidó, Venezuelan opposition leader
The U.S. President “spoke today with Venezuelan Interim President Juan Guaidó to emphasize U.S. recognition and support for the democratically elected National Assembly in 2015 and for (Juan) Guaidó as interim President of the Venezuela,” according to a White House statement.
Former President Donald Trump said in 2019 that he would not recognize the re-election of President Nicolas Maduro following an election during which numerous irregularities had been reported.
Washington confirmed on Monday that it had not invited Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba to the Summit of the Americas, which opened in Los Angeles, because of “reservations” about democracy in these three countries.
During the phone call conducted from Air Force One en route to California, Joe Biden “expressed his support for Venezuelan-led negotiations, representing the best path to a peaceful restoration of democratic institutions, free and fair elections and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all Venezuelans.”
Joe Biden also indicated that the United States was ready to revise its sanctions policy if the regime of President Nicolas Maduro showed itself ready to negotiate with the opposition a new framework allowing Venezuelans to be consulted through elections.
Former President Donald Trump had sanctioned the power of Nicolas Maduro. The economy collapsed there, pushing thousands of Venezuelans into exile.
Juan Guaidó “thanked the constant support of the United States for the struggle of the Venezuelan people for the fastest possible democratic transition” and for being “the main supporter of humanitarian aid” in the country, indicated for his part the opponent’s team.