Georgetown, Guyana – The United States announced Friday that it is turning its attention to Guyana’s abundant bauxite and other resources for business opportunities as the Trump administration increasingly looks to energy and minerals in Latin America.
US Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg held talks this week with senior Guyanese officials, including President Irfaan Ali, in the South American country. There is an oil boom.
The huge oil reserves discovered in the past decade have increased Guyana’s geopolitical importance, which has only been amplified during the global energy crisis caused by… Iran war. Bauxite reserves are essential for aluminum production.
The Trump administration has focused more aggressively on Latin American resources – Pressure to increase oil production in Venezuela after US military invasion in Januaryto continue cooperation with Brazil further Critical minerals.
In a region where energy production appeared to be declining, Latin America is now seeing a reversal of that trend, according to Benjamin Gedan, senior fellow and program director of the Stimson Center for Latin America.
“In times of global energy scarcity, there is a great deal of focus on Latin America as an alternative and stable source of supply,” Gedan said. “And Guyana is the leader of that story.”
The visit comes amid concerns in the US government about the Chinese government and major companies benefiting from government contracts worth millions of dollars at the expense of American companies.
Guyanese officials claim that American companies have not been as aggressive as Chinese companies, which often provide financing and meet labor needs for mega projects.
Helberg told officials that bauxite reserves are already known, so the United States would be interested in the sector. Currently, China’s Bosai Minerals is the dominant player in the local bauxite sector.
“In general, we both recognize that Guyana is a country with a lot of natural resources,” Helberg said of the bilateral talks.
He suggested that the United States could also assist Guyana in conducting high-tech surveys to identify other subsurface minerals for later development.
The United States is looking to learn from past mistakes in allowing China to gain a foothold in the region, according to Jason Marczak, vice president and senior director of the Adrienne Arsht Center for Latin America at the Atlantic Council.
While Guyana is likely trying to diversify its trade relations, including with China, the visit shows that the country remains a strong partner of the United States in the region.
“President Ali in particular is very close to the United States and generally recognizes the importance of the United States as a major partner for Guyana,” Marczak said. “This is reflected in Helberg’s visit to Guyana.”
Guyana is interested in attracting American investors to the mineral, oil and gas-rich country in the coming months, Guyanese Foreign Minister Robert Persaud told The Associated Press on Friday.
He said, “The United States is our strategic partner, and we have made that clear to them, but we want added value to bauxite and other products. We are interested in processing and improvements in power generation.”
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Associated Press writer Ana Catherine Brigida reported from Mexico City.