By IANS,
Beijing : China’s increasing presence in Latin America was not a matter of concern or a threat to the US, a top American official said here Wednesday.
“It is certainly not a concern, not a threat. We very much welcome China’s continued engagement, investment and trade with countries in the western hemisphere,” Arturo Valenzuela, US assistant secretary of state for western hemisphere affairs, was quoted as saying by China Daily.
Valenzuela made the comment during a US-China meet on Latin America, held under the auspices of the China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue.
He said that China’s trade with Latin America was only five percent of its trade worldwide. In contrast, the US’s trade with countries in the western hemisphere was about 40 percent of its world trade.
The US has had a very significant and historic trade relationship with Latin America, he said.
“We think that China’s engagement helps strengthen economies and provide employment for people in the region,” Valenzuela said.