US plans projects in Latin America

US officials are set to tour Latin America this week to scout infrastructure projects as they prepare a counter to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s multi-trillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative.

A delegation of diplomatic and development officials led by President Joe Biden’s Deputy National Security Adviser Daleep Singh is in Colombia, where they plan to meet President Ivan Duque, before stops later in the week to Ecuador and Panama, US officials said.

The group is tasked with turning Build Back Better World (B3W), the international infrastructure investment initiative announced by the Group of Seven richest democracies in June, into reality. It’s the first of several planned “listening tours.”

In addition to meeting with Duque, Ecuadorean President Guillermo Lasso, and Panamanian officials, the trip will allow US officials to speak with the private sector, civil society and “traditionally marginalized groups,” officials said.

The program is focused on areas including climate, health, digital technology and gender equality, officials have said.