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Eyeing China, Marco Rubio makes Central America his first trip abroad as top US diplomat
Countering Beijing and ‘deepening economic partnerships’ to boost regional prosperity said to be on agenda in tour that starts in Panama
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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will make his first international trip since taking office on Saturday, visiting five Central American countries – a first in more than a century for a top American diplomat’s inaugural tour – as Washington moves to counter China’s deepening influence in the region.
Rubio will travel through Thursday to Panama, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic and meet senior officials and business leaders to “promote regional cooperation”, according to the State Department.
Rubio would also discuss “shared interests” like curbing irregular migration, transnational crime, “countering China and deepening economic partnerships to enhance prosperity in our hemisphere”, it added.
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State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce acknowledged Friday to reporters that the choice of destinations may raise eyebrows, given Washington “tends to look” to Europe and Asia.
But in explaining Rubio’s renewed focus on the region, Bruce cited the impact of decisions made by countries in the Americas on US domestic politics.
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“This is where we live. This is who we are,” she said. “This is about not just wanting to have new partnerships, that’s always good, but the nature of what it means to have an extended relationship with the people closest to you.”
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