Tag: Americas

Mexico Unseats China as Top Importer to US

Media Library

After 17 years as the top source of imported goods in the United States, China will likely move into second place for 2023, ceding the first position to Mexico, according to data released by the U.S. Commerce Department this week. The shift is the result of a yearslong trend that has seen a gradual decline in China’s share of the U.S. import market, driven primarily by continued U.S. tariffs on a broad array of Chinese goods. However, other contributing factors include a broader reshuffling of global supply chains in the…

Human rights in decline globally as leaders fail to uphold laws, report warns

Media Library

Human rights across the world are in a parlous state as leaders shun their obligations to uphold international law, according to the annual report of Human Rights Watch (HRW). In its 2024 world report, HRW warns grimly of escalating human rights crises around the globe, with wartime atrocities increasing, suppression of human rights defenders on the rise, and universal human rights principles and laws being attacked and undermined by governments. The report highlights political leaders’ increasing disregard for international human rights laws. The report says “selective government outrage and transactional…

The world in 2024: Guardian writers on what to look out for

Media Library

The year 2024 will be a critical one. The future of Gaza and the West Bank may hinge in part on whether Donald Trump returns to the White House – as may the outcome of the war in Ukraine. China will be locked in a race against time as its population ages. And the natural world will reach a new series of tipping points. But there are some reasons for cautious optimism. With so much happening, it can be hard to know where to look. Here Guardian correspondents offer their…

Argentina Won’t Join BRICS Alliance in Milei’s Latest Policy Shift

Media Library

BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA —  Argentina formally announced Friday that it won’t join the BRICS bloc of developing economies, the latest in a dramatic shift in foreign and economic policy by Argentina’s new far-right populist president, Javier Milei. In a letter addressed to the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — the founding members of the alliance — Milei said the moment was not “opportune” for Argentina to join as a full member. The letter was dated a week ago, December 22, but released by the Argentine government…

VOA Immigration Weekly Recap, Dec. 17–24

Media Library

Editor’s note: Here is a look at immigration-related news around the U.S. this week. Questions? Tips? Comments? Email the VOA immigration team: ImmigrationUnit@voanews.com. Chinese Still Largest Group of Foreign Students in US Students from China retained their position in 2023 as the largest group of international students in the United States. Despite a slight dip, China is still the leading country of origin for foreign students pursuing an education in the U.S. VOA’s immigration reporter Aline Barros has more. As Holidays Approach, Migrants Face Eviction From New York City Shelters…

Milei’s Government Pays IMF Without Tapping China Currency Swap

Media Library

On Thursday, Argentina’s new government sent to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) its scheduled debt payment, thanks to a loan from the CAF – the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean. In doing so, the government of Argentina’s new president, Javier Milei, avoided tapping into a currency swap line Beijing was preparing to make available, with strings attached. Since Milei’s victory on November 19, and his inauguration on December 10, intense maneuvers between Buenos Aires and Beijing appear to have taken place, largely under the radar. Among the…

Canada intelligence operation put diplomats in legal ‘grey zone’ – report

Media Library

A controversial intelligence-gathering program run by Canada’s foreign affairs ministry operates in a “distinctly grey zone”, puts its officers at risk and breaches global diplomatic conventions, says a damning watchdog report. Canada’s global security reporting program (GSRP), a critical part of the foreign ministry’s security and intelligence footprint overseas, places officers in countries with “poor human rights records” including Ethiopia, India, Egypt, Turkey, Israel and China. The program has received renewed scrutiny in recent months following reports that Michael Spavor, a Canadian jailed in China for nearly three years, was…

Canada Expands Probe of Asia Multilateral Bank

Media Library

Ottawa, Ontario —  Canada is broadening a probe of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and freezing its participation in the multilateral organization indefinitely, the government said Friday. Ottawa had temporarily suspended its involvement in the AIIB in June after a whistleblower asserted that China’s ruling party pulls the strings at the bank. The AIIB, a project pushed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, was launched in 2016 to counter Western dominance of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. It has 106 global members, including Australia, Canada, France and Germany.…

Argentina Not Joining BRICS Despite Xi’s Personal Letter to Milei

Media Library

Argentine President-elect Javier Milei’s foreign minister-designee has announced that Argentina will not be joining BRICS, an international grouping of countries increasingly seen as being led by Beijing in its bid to challenge initiatives led by Western, democratic nations. The announcement Thursday by Diana Mondino marks a reversal of a key decision made by the outgoing government that was seen as pulling Buenos Aries ever closer to China’s orbit. It also comes despite a personal letter Chinese communist leader Xi Jinping wrote and had hand-delivered to Milei last week. The incoming…

Biden Highlights Efforts with China, Mexico to Combat Fentanyl

Media Library

WASHINGTON —  U.S. President Joe Biden highlighted “strong international coordination” by his administration to halt the flow of fentanyl and the ingredients used to produce the deadly drug following his diplomatic engagements with leaders of China and Mexico last week. “We’ve focused on prevention, harm reduction, treatment and recovery,” he said on Tuesday during a meeting at the White House to address the scourge of the illicit drug that has killed more than 200,000 Americans in recent years. “But this challenge also has roots outside our borders, outside the borders…