Commander of the US Southern Command, General Laura Richardson. Photo: RT
General Laura Richardson accused Moscow and Beijing of trying to “undermine democracies” in the region, and described the work of Russia Today (RT) in Spanish and Sputnik Mundo as “very concerning.”
The commander of the US Southern Command, General Laura Richardson, expressed her concern on Wednesday about the activities of China and Russia in Latin America, while emphasizing that it is a region “very rich in mineral resources,” such as rare earths and lithium. Her comments were made during an interview with the Spanish edition of Voice of America, the US state-owned international propaganda outlet.
“The lithium triangle is in this region,” said Richardson. “There are many things that this region has to offer.”
In this context, Richardson mentioned the Belt and Road Initiative promoted by Beijing, adding that “21 of the 31 countries” covered by the US Southern Command are registered in it.
She also highlighted that China invested more than $50 billion in the region during the last years, and expressed her concern that it “could even be close to $100 billion.”
Richardson expressed her opinion that China “is playing chess,” while Russia, which is also prevalent in the region, “is playing checkers.”
“I think they’re there to undermine the United States, they’re there to undermine democracies, and they all mean business,” said Richardson. “Whether they are playing chess or checkers, they are there to undermine democracy. And quite honestly, with all the disinformation and Russia Today Español, Sputnik Mundo, being there with over 30 million followers of Russia on social media—I mean this is very concerning.”
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During her speech, Richardson also emphasized that “we have a lot of important elections coming up or just happened (sic), and we have to continue to stay engaged and concerned with this region.”
(RT)
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
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