Jason Marzak

That was also under the auspices of confronting the global threat –

communism.

So now what we're seeing is a shift to the Western Hemisphere, less from a confronting that global threat, but more from a perspective of that we need a secure, friendly Western Hemisphere, where the U.S.

is the primary partner, because that is ultimately beneficial for our own national security.

Well, China's investments, Kimberly, have...

accelerated astronomically in the last decade.

China is now the principal trading partner for pretty much every single country except for one in South America.

China has slowly weaned away Taiwan's allies in Central America over the last decade.

China has established not only the commercial ties, but also significant investment ties.

I've witnessed firsthand

I travel to the region once or twice a month talking to heads of state, ministers, business executives.

And this Chinese investment is just proliferating.

And there's a yearning for more U.S.

investment.

But the concern is that it just doesn't simply come.

People will say to me, I go to Beijing and I come back with a check.

I go to Washington and I come back with a photo.

What this new strategy is trying to do is change that reality so that there actually is more U.S.

investment coming in, especially –

in those strategic sectors, telecommunications, technology, critical resources that are held across the hemisphere, lithium, copper, a number of resources that are fundamental for our economy today, the economy of the future.