President Joe Biden says the U.S. is looking to expand and strengthen its relationship with Ecuador, one of its staunchest allies in South America and a country that’s also getting plenty of attention from China.
The already fragile economy in oil-exporting Ecuador was battered by the coronavirus outbreak. One of Lasso’s top priorities when he took office last year was to sign a free trade agreement with the United States, joining Colombia and Chile as the only other countries in South America to enjoy such privileged status.
Lasso was to meet with USAID administrator Samantha Power later Monday and was scheduled to hold talks with CIA Director William Burns, members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and others before returning to Quito on Wednesday.to the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation CEO Scott Nathan, urged the Biden administration to surge investment into Ecuador to counter China's growing influence in the region.
In recognition of the deepening ties, the U.S. Senate last week passed a bipartisan bill, the United State-Ecuador Partnership Act, which seeks to expand bilateral cooperation on the economy, security and environmental conservation. The effort is part of theAmong its provisions are a promise to transfer two excess U.S. Coast Guard cutters to help Ecuador patrol the protected waters around the Galapagos Islands, where China’s distant water fishing fleet has become an unwelcome presence.
Eric Farnsworth, a vice president of the Council of Americas in Washington, said the U.S. would be wise to provide meaningful assistance to Ecuador, which he described as a “strong democracy in a troubled neighborhood," whether it's from criminal gangs in Colombia or ongoing unrest in Peru.
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