In Panama, the fallout from Donald Trump's threatening rhetoric on the nation's and the region's embattled flagship canal continues. This week, in a provocative move, the controversial mogul appointed as Foggy Bottom's ambassador to Clayton a rising star from the Republican ranks summoned from Miami-Dade, a new red bastion in the never more swing state of Florida. The soon-to-be president took another opportunity to build on the narrative that the United States was being “ripped off” by Panama over the use of the canal. But the Heron Palace boss remains proactive—boosted by his regional peers—discussing the Mar-a-Lago-based man's discourse.
“No, the answer is no (...) Tolls (for using the canal) are not made at the whim of (Panamanian) presidents or (its) administrator,” but are set in a ‘public and open process’ in which critical stakeholders participate, the president defended. The populist and conservative Panamanian leader—very close in ideas to Trump in immigration matters—remarked again that “there is no possibility of talking about anything that seeks to rethink the legal-political reality” of the historic maritime infrastructure. And in response to another wild claim by Trump, he alleged that there are no Chinese soldiers deployed there. However, it is known that an Asian business administers two strategic ports integrated into the route.
I crossed the Panama Canal, yesterday. Not 1 Chinese soldier in sight. It’s operated by the Panama Canal Authority & run by proud Panamanian employees. Thousands died building the Canal. Few were American. Most of the workers came from West Indies. Everything Trump says is 💩. pic.twitter.com/RFIHS6ZRLZ
— Ana Navarro-Cárdenas (@ananavarro) December 26, 2024
Labor slavery in Brazil?
A case of potential labor slavery associated with Chinese auto giant BYD has been in the news a lot this week. Brazilian prosecutors have charged a BYD-contracted construction company—building a mega-factory in Camaçari, Bahia state—with keeping some 160 Chinese workers in conditions bordering on slavery. Among the alleged irregularities are the withholding of wages and passports, excessive exposure to solar radiation, and appalling housing and personal hygiene conditions. BYD terminated “with immediate effect” Monday the contract with Jinjiang Construction Brazil Ltda, the alluded construction company. Yet a spokesman from the former shared a more aggressive position Thursday in defense of their human resources management. “The inexplicable label of 'enslaved' has made our staff feel seriously insulted,” Jinjiang alleged on the Chinese social network Weibo. There is also talk of “translation misunderstandings,” malicious questions from inspectors, and generally an attempt to undermine trade relations between the Asian and South American giants, respectively. The China-related working conditions have often been the subject of criticism.
SourceA philosophical discussion on the minimum wage?
Forced by legal circumstances, Javier Milei's government has established new progressive increases in the minimum wage, which will go up from $279 this December to $296 in March 2025. But I am interested in the narrative featured by Pink House spokesman Manuel Adorni, who defended that “conceptually, having a minimum wage is a mistake”. According to the surging liberal official, “if there are people [willing] to work for less than that wage, [regulations] don't allow [to] hire them”. “Hopefully, when Argentina is completely normal, conceptually, [minimum wage] will cease to exist,” he concluded. So in Milei's conception, there is also freedom to be exploited and to surrender yourself—naked and hungry—to capital.
SourceAnd this is all for our report today. I have referenced the sources dynamically in the text, and remember you can learn how and where to follow the LATAM trail news by reading my work here. Have a nice day.
