The U.S. Embassy in Costa Rica plans a conference on 5G network security, set to take place in April. The plans for the conference follow China’s rejected cyber-security and spying concerns raised by Costa Rica’s president. Central American nation’s president, Rodrigo Chaves, earlier this month told reporters “The country where Huawei is based doesn’t have a solid judicial framework that prevents spying,” prompting China’s local embassy to deem this as baseless and to say such statements could ‘undermine economic ties’. The U.S. embassy also announced plans to work with Costa Rica in identifying public safety threats including sharing biometric information in real-time. Nonetheless, Central America battles record homicide rates due to international drug trafficking networks. The embassy also said “it would extend its Safe Mobility initiative until December 2024, to facilitate ‘access to safe and legal routes’ to the United States and other countries for eligible Nicaraguans and Venezuelans residing in Costa Rica”.
Historically, central America has been lagging behind larger world powers in economics. A breach such as security could be detrimental not only to Costa Rica but also directly affecting the United States. A breach in security could affect the region and gives China eyes on ‘our side of the world’. Furthermore, the weakening of these countries can pose a breach of security to the United States. If Costa Rica’s information were to fall to China, then it would be practically direct information from the United States itself since Costa Rica works closely with the United States. Therefore, China is collecting the data from these weaker countries since it is unable to get it at the direct source: America itself (disregarding the infamous spy balloon earlier this year). Regardless, intelligence from a territory such as Costa Rica can give sensitive U.S. information to China and other communist countries.
Organized crime imposes a security threat to surrounding countries, and the international community as a whole. When a country runs rampant with crime, citizens migrate elsewhere for a better life. Yet, countries, such as the United States, are left with insecure borders. With high volumes of migrants, it is difficult to process the entirety of the immigrants, so many turn to cross illegally. Individually, these immigrants are securing themselves, fleeing a dangerous life-threatening situation. As for the United States, on a regional level of analysis, they are too trying to protect its citizens from possible crime entering the country. On top of the crime, China’s collection of sensitive information and spying adds another layer of threat to the United States.