Obama seeks equal partnerships

People shout slogans while confronting riot police during a protest against US President Barack Obama, in Santiago on Monday. Obama is due to promote democracy and economic growth in Chile, during the second stage of his Latin American tour. Photo: AFP

By Jia Cheng

After days of promoting international ties with Latin America, US President Barack Obama shifted his tour Tuesday to a closer neighbor, El Salvador, and to more sensitive policy interests, such as immigration, drug wars and gun trafficking.

Before heading to El Salvador from Chile, Obama called for a new era of relations between the US and the region based on equal partnership, and he praised Latin America's rise from an era of dictatorship to its present democratic state.

"Latin America is only going to become more important to the United States, especially to our economy. Trade between the US and Latin America has surged," Obama said in a statement published by the White House.

No other region has so many connections with the US, he added.

Since coming to power, Obama has said he wants to seek partnerships of equality and shared responsibility, but there have not been any substantive progresses or significant steps since Obama has been battling domestic challenges and foreign wars, said Shi Yinhong, director of the Center of American Studies at the Renmin University of China.

"On one hand, Obama's trip aims to reduce Latin Americans' disappointment by refocusing on the region and emphasizing its importance for consolidating the US' position in Latin America. On the other hand, China has deepened its influence in the region by expanding trade and investment, which puts influence on the cooperation between the US and Latin America," Shi added.

"I know that, at times, the US has taken this region for granted," Reuters quoted Obama as saying.

According to the statement, Obama hailed Latin American countries' stability upon turning to democracy from a military dictatorship, saying it is a model for Arab nations swept by popular rebellions against autocratic rule.

Dong Jingsheng, vice director of the Institute of Latin American Studies at Peking University, told the Global Times that the significant growth and changing of the region has forced Obama to refocus on Latin America.

In his speech at La Moneda Palace of Santiago, Obama also urged Cuba to extend greater freedoms to its citizens, saying, "Cuban authorities must take meaningful actions to respect the basic rights of the Cuban people, not because the US insists upon it, but because the people of Cuba deserve it."

Agencies contributed to this story