There is a little strategic importance because the Chinese control both ends of the canal now a base in Ecuador could be used in a supported way. I think Chinese forces would be welcome in Venezuela and soon Ecuador add in parts of Panama then throw in Nicaragua. Bolivia is land locked but soon China will be interested in there natural gas its only a matter there need for gas/oil is second to the United States only and growing.
This is a little taste of what China is doing in Africa its a little dated but useful.
Which African countries has China sold weapons to?
Between 1955 and 1977,
Le Monde reports, China sold $142 million worth of military equipment to Africa, and the pace of sales has picked up significantly since then. The Congressional Research Service reports China's arms sales to Africa made up 10 percent of all conventional arms transfers to the continent between 1996 and 2003. They include:
- Sudan. China has sold the Islamic government in Khartoum weapons and $100 million worth of Shenyang fighter planes, including twelve supersonic F-7 jets, according to the aerospace industry journal Aviation Week and Space Technology. Experts say any military air presence exercised by the government—including the helicopter gunships reportedly used to terrorize civilians in Darfur—comes from China.
- Equatorial Guinea. China has provided military training and Chinese specialists in heavy military equipment to the leaders of the tiny West African nation, whose oil reserves per capita approach and may exceed those of Saudi Arabia.
- Ethiopia and Eritrea. China sold Ethiopia and its neighbor, Eritrea, an estimated $1 billion worth of weapons before and during their border war from 1998 and 2000.
- Burundi. In 1995, a Chinese ship carrying 152 tons of ammunition and light weapons meant for the army of Burundi was refused permission to dock in Tanzania.
- Tanzania. According to the Overseas Development Institute, China has delivered at least thirteen covert shipments of weapons labeled as agricultural equipment to Dar-es-Salaam.
- Zimbabwe. The autocratic government of Robert Mugabe ordered twelve FC-1 fighter jets and 100 military vehicles from China in late 2004 in a deal worth $200 million, experts say. In May 2000, China reportedly swapped a shipment of small arms for eight tons of Zimbabwean elephant ivory, Taylor writes in his report. In addition, the U.S.-backed International Broadcast Bureau says China provided a radio jamming device to Zimbabwe that allows Mugabe's regime to block broadcasts of independent news sources like Radio Africa from a military base outside Harare. China also donated the blue tiles that decorate the roof of Mugabe's house.
This is why I don't want them in South America all it takes is a few large arms deals and then they have there foot hold. This is just a few items there are much more to be found and added to this. What I'm saying is if China can be dirty in Africa what stops them from doing in South America? I think we should commit to both Colombia and Peru and let the spreading end right where it is. From northern Peru we would have easy reach to Venezuela, Colombia would allow overflights for us and being Peru we can monitoring Ecuador closely. Going out on a limb a bit from southern Peru we could monitor Bolivia, Chavez's other new puppet state. And it's a win, win situation being in Peru because we could stop the flow of drugs which would only help out country and other parts of the world at the same time.
For Peru what would it take a squadron or two of shinny new F-16s, free trade agreements, help with there natural gas industry. They have one current site producing but more deposits have been found near Ecuador's border so it's an investment too. There's already enough drugs coming from Asia that China does little about now, I assume the second largest drug producing region in the world would be South America. Do we want them there too? Sorry for going in too many direction here but it's complex.
