El Salvador Perspectives

Today's post is a mashup of a variety of things being covered in El Salvador in the last few weeks.    President Nayib Bukele announced the opening of the Chivo Pets public veterinary hospital.  People will be able to bring their pets to the modern new facility for treatment which will only cost 25 cents, as long as they pay using the Chivo digital wallet or another cryptocurrency wallet: Wanna watch a video about #Bitcoin and pets? @chivopets is the first ever #Bitcoin fully funded animal hospital. Every treatment will cost only $0.25, paid in #BTC , with any wallet. https://t.co/qODeo1eO3M — Nayib Bukele 🇸🇻 (@nayibbukele) February 25, 2022 Bukele has said that the Chivo Pets hospital was paid for with the government's profits on Bitcoin.   The problem with that statement is that as of today, the government has not seen profits, but instead has accumulated unrealized losses of $15.6 million USD at today's prices: If nothing else, tying a public vet...

It is pretty obvious that the US does not know what to do about the president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele.  Bukele has made it clear that he rejects the criticism from the US and will not allow it to influence his actions. When the US expressed its support of Attorney General Melara in April, the Bukele-controlled Legislative Assembly fired him on May 1. When the US  announced  additional funding for the CICIES anti-corruption commission, Bukele terminated the CICIES. When the US protested the dismissal of Constitutional Chamber magistrates on May 1, Bukele tweeted that the changes were "irreversible." When the US published the  Engel List  of corrupt actors which included several in the Bukele administration, none have been removed or investigated. When on August 4, US Secretary of State Blinken  announced  enhanced use of denial of travel visas to persons believed to be involved in corruption or subverting democratic institutions like judicial indep...

While relations between the Salvadoran government and the Biden administration in Washington are currently strained, China continues to advance its own agenda through support of various projects in El Salvador.  Most recently, Chinese "vaccine diplomacy" was deployed in El Salvador with a donation of 150,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine and the facilitation of purchases of 2 million more.    El Salvador broke off diplomatic relations with Taiwan and established diplomatic ties with the Peoples Republic of China in 2018 during the FMLN administration of Salvador Sanchez Ceren.  The Chinese promised $150 million in donations and were pushing forward to acquire rights to manage the port of La Union.     The El Salvador-China relationship was reset after Nayib Bukele defeated the FMLN to become president.  At the outset, as he wooed the US, Bukele appeared to favor a more distant relationship with China.  Shortly after his election, he spoke to Tru...

Nayib Bukele traveled to Asia in the past week for state visits to Japan and China .  Under the FMLN, El Salvador dumped diplomatic relations with Taiwan  in 2018 and established them with mainland China.  Bukele said he'd review diplomatic ties when he became president, and on April 1, blasted China for extending an invitation to outgoing officials of the FMLN to visit Beijing. The visit to China would seem to go outside of Bukele's typical path of hewing to the desires of the US.   The US strongly criticized El Salvador when it broke off relations with Taiwan last year.   But Bukele is looking for investment partners wherever he can find them, and China remains interested in Central America.   In China, leaders of the countries announced that China will participate in infrastructure developments including a stadium and water treatment plant.    It is not clear if this is the same or different money from the $150 million Chi...

Salvadoran president Salvador Sanchez Ceren recently returned from a trip to China.   The trip was his first since El Salvador broke diplomatic ties with Taiwan and recognized the People's Republic of China.   According to  Reuters , Sanchez Ceren returned to El Salvador bearing gifts : China will give El Salvador $150 million to spur development of social and technological projects, the Salvadoran president said on Wednesday , the latest sign of deepening ties between the countries that has alarmed the United States.... “This historic meeting between the governments of the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of El Salvador has produced excellent results,” Ceren said. “This confirms that the establishment of diplomatic relations with China is my government’s most important decision in foreign policy.” Speaking in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said the two countries had agreed to a series of cooperation projects, incl...