I'm John Bachelors, my colleague Professor Evan Ellis, this is a New World Report.

We begin in Central America to talk about an issue that I had no prior knowledge of.

Guatemala, recently going through an election process that was troubled at the end, but the

President Aravalo did attain his office despite what you'd have to say was bumps in the

transition and now the professor tells me there is a sharp relationship

developing with China how so so, Professor?

Well, it's interesting, John.

Across the region, you see China continuing to develop its influence in various different ways.

We just, you know, we talked in a different segment about the way in which China has woven its influence in Antigua and Bermuda with the party system and in economic projects there.

Guatemala is, with the exception of Belize, the last state in Central America that continues to recognize Taiwan over the PRC.

The new reformist President Bernouder Arvalho, he came into office talked about his interest in expanding trade with the PRC,

although firmly coming down and saying, well, I'm not going to change diplomatic relations from Taiwan.

That is a no-no for the PRC and historically

has been. The PRC has regularly essentially applied significant pressure against anyone who is you wanted to have it both ways and so there

was an unpleasant reminder of that this past week in which the PRC announced that it was essentially suspending imports of virtually all Guatemalan products.

This is really a way of applying additional pressure against Guatemala saying that you know not only if you want more trade with the PRC you need to recognize the PRC, but we're going to take away everything and everything isn't a lot it's about uh... seventy eight

a million dollars i think in gu Guatemalan exports last year to the p rC

just kind of a reminder to the gu Guatemalan trade promotion organization Ag Exports as well as to

Guatemalan's in general.

Both some within the Samia party of Aravalo in Guatemala as well as some of the other

Guatemalan business elites who have interest in the PRC market saying that if you want to have access to this market you need to think about changing over to the PRC.

So again, a little bit of China's kind of traditional you know soft coercion

...