This is John Batchel, a conversation with colleague Professor Evan Ellis of the U.S. Army War College about China's aggression in Central America, the projects, the money, the investment.

Beginning in Nicaragua, the professor gives us a partial list of China looking to, let's put it this way, China's not here to be friendly.

China's here to make money and to profit for itself and to be aggressive.

Evan Ellis on China in Central America, partial list, much more of this later.

You're absolutely right, John.

And as a matter of fact, what you point out to is a relatively little noticed but

strategically important to aspect of China's advance across the Americas, which has

military as well as economic implications, and which has been going on now for more than

20 years as I followed it.

And so in recent years, what you find is that in terms of changes in diplomatic recognition

and an associated advance of China's position in countries, Nicaragua changed to recognize the PRC,

Honduras and its leftist government with Chi Omar Castro and Libro has changed to recognize the PRC.

But with those changes in diplomatic recognition have come a flurry of new projects, which include

interoceanic connections.

And so in Nicaragua, as you pointed out, you had a Chinese investor by the name of Wang Jing

before the change in recognition that was talking

about this $40 billion, you know, questionable interoceanic canal. Although that project ultimately

failed, especially in the absence of Chinese recognition, actually in November of last year,

they resurrected the Chinese canal project. The Chinese company, a Chinese company

is going to do a feasibility study. You have multiple other Chinese projects. You have a rail

project basically connecting Managua to one of its outlying suburbs. You have a new coastal roads that are being built.

The Punta Airport, which is a major Cold War area airport that had been built to receive some of the Soviet Union's largest bombers, is being refurbished by China just northwest of Menagwa.

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