In 2018, Panama partnered with China on its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a Chinese infrastructure strategy that plans to extend across the globe. In 2024, China’s creep into America’s backyard continues with the progressing construction of the Pan-American Highway, a roadway system that would connect Alaska to Argentina.
Recently, there has been construction in the Darién Gap to further build upon the Pan-American Highway. The Darién Gap is land that connects Panama and Columbia, an extremely popular route for migrants to reach American soil. With this road construction, it will become all the easier to do so. With Panama aligning with China’s BRI, Chinese endeavors are increasingly expanding across Latin America. It’s clear that China is laying a foundation to challenge the U.S. on multiple fronts—economically and militarily.
Shelling out a whopping $42 million to punch the Pan-American Highway through from Panama to Colombia is a blatant undermining of U.S. sovereignty and security. This maneuver plays right into China’s hands, providing a convenient bypass to the Panama Canal and setting the stage for heightened migration woes and significant security headaches for America.
What’s truly alarming is the Biden administration‘s handling—or mishandling—of the situation. Their strategy, if you can even call it that, wavers between being alarmingly naive and suspiciously accommodating, effectively rolling out the red carpet for China’s BRI to spread its tentacles across Latin America. This goes beyond mere economic ventures; it’s a clear play by China to solidify its influence on key strategic fronts, effectively sidelining American interests in our own hemisphere.
The effort to bridge the Darién Gap spotlights China’s designs for reshaping the power dynamics in our own region. This undertaking should ring alarm bells across America, causing the U.S. to get its act together and seriously rethink our approach in Latin America. Failing to take decisive steps now could very well leave the door wide open for China to erode our standing and jeopardize our security interests.
