China Aims to Seize Control of the OAS, Boosting Its Influence in Latin America and Washington

On March 10 the vote to elect the next secretary general of the Organization of American States (OAS) will take place, China could take control of this important body through one of the two candidates for the post, Albert Ramdin, the foreign minister of Suriname. Such power for China in the OAS would give it a very dangerous presence in Washington D. C. and increase the regime's control in Latin America.

The candidates and the votes

Ramdin is a former OAS assistant secretary general (2005-2015) and has a long history with China. In addition to having the public backing of the regime, he has the vote of the 14 Caribbean countries, also with the votes of Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia and Uruguay, which have just announced in a communiqué their support.

The other candidate is Rubén Ramírez Lezcano, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Paraguay, who is close to President Donald Trump and has even been invited to Mar-a-Lago. Among the supports he could have are El Salvador, Argentina, Ecuador, Peru, and Panama.

The United States contributes approximately 53% of the resources of the OAS. This represents about $53 million dollars. In addition, the headquarters of the organization is in Washington D. C., so a situation in which China took control, via the Suriname candidate, would be particularly risky for the United States.

President Trump has made it clear that he does not want China's intervention in Latin America, in his first days in office he even denounced the possible presence of China in Panama, so an eventual control by the Chinese regime of an organization with so much power in the region, and with a presence in D. C., should alert the president. It is essential that the Republican call on OAS member countriesto refrain from supporting a candidate tied to China.

Ramdin, moreover, has on several occasions aligned himself with regimes in the region, asserting that the only way to address the Venezuelan crisis is through "dialogue" with the "Maduro government." Meanwhile, Ramirez has openly said that the OAS should seek that Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua "return to the democratic system and have respected and respectable governments."

The dangerous history of Ramdin and China

Suriname and particularly Albert Ramdin's relationship with China is well documented. In June 2006, when in his position as OAS assistant secretary general he visited the Latin American Institute of China, he had this to say, "Our visit here and these talks represent an important first step in broadening and deepening the relationship between China and the OAS and laying the groundwork for developing a concrete plan of action and cooperation that will benefit OAS member states, particularly those in the Caribbean and Latin America."

In July 2015, Ramdin returned to Suriname to assume the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs. The country was one of the first Caribbean nations to establish significant diplomatic and economic ties with China. After years of negotiations, in May 2023, while Ramdin is still in office, Suriname becomes the first country in the Americas to be suffocated by Chinese loansat that time almost 20% of the country's public debt was from China!

In November 2023, in an interview with the Chinese state media Global Times, Ramdin, apparently trying to score points with his partner, to whom his country owed millions, showered praise by giving blunt statements such as the following: "Suriname's stance has always been clear; we recognize only one China, and we steadfastly support that principle." He also boasted that Suriname was the first Caribbean country to join China's Belt and Road Initiative, and assured that China is fundamental to all of Latin America.

He even openly said that Suriname's "diplomatic missions in Washington, New York, and other locations work together" with those of China. He also said: "We have a dynamic collaboration on the global stage, actively coordinating within various international organizations and at the United Nations.

At the end of 2024, Suriname, drowning in debt to China, signed a debt rescheduling. The country owes the Exim Bank, owned by the Chinese regime, 476 million dollars, of which 140 million are in arrears. In addition, by November 2024, Suriname owed the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China $68 million.

Ramdin's victory would open the doors of all the countries in the region to China, through the OAS he could boost big business for Chinese companies in Latin America and boost China's power incredibly. For Latin America and for the United States it is essential that the candidate from Suriname, tied to China, does not take control of such an important organization.