US President Donald Trump has decided to seriously counter with the increasing influence of China in the region amid war with Iran.
According to Reuters, Trump will host Latin American leaders in Florida on Saturday, March 7, as his administration seeks to counter China's growing influence in the region, a diplomatic show just days after US strikes on Iran opened a new front in the Middle East.
The summit comes as Trump prepares for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing at the end of March.
The Trump administration hopes to pull Latin America closer to Washington after years of growing Chinese trade, lending and infrastructure investment in the region.
The gathering dubbed as the "Shield of the Americas," will give Trump a chance to project strength closer to home even as the conflict in the Middle East leads to consequences he may not fully control, such as rising prices for oil and gas.
Trump posted Thursday that Kristi Noem, whom he removed as Homeland Security secretary after mounting criticism of her from Congress, will be special envoy for the "Shield of the Americas.”
The summit will bring together conservative leaders aligned with Trump on security, migration and economics, reflecting a broader rightward shift in parts of Latin America.
Among those expected to attend are Argentine President Javier Milei, Chile's president-elect Jose Antonio Kast and Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, whose gang crackdown, criticized by human rights groups, has become a model for parts of Latin America's right.
