30th Parliamentary Intelligence-Security Forum – Energy and Critical Minerals – Sustaining Global Supply Chains

Ambassador Carla Sands thanked the organizers of the Parliamentary Intelligence and Security Forum and the government of El Salvador for hosting the event, praising Congressman Robert Pittenger and the forum leadership for productive engagement. She highlighted President Nayib Bukele’s success in reducing gang violence and narcotics trafficking, noting that El Salvador now has the lowest crime rate in Latin America. She emphasized that improved security has driven economic growth, strengthened U.S.–El Salvador relations, and expanded bilateral trade across key sectors.

Sands warned that while the United States pursues peaceful and mutually beneficial trade, adversarial powers such as China and Russia are expanding their influence in Latin America. She described China as a significant economic and security threat, citing dual-use infrastructure projects, propaganda, telecommunications expansion through companies like Huawei, and control over critical minerals essential for modern technology and clean energy. Drawing on her diplomatic experience, she urged Western nations to resist arrangements that could undermine sovereignty and critical infrastructure.

She also addressed Russia’s growing regional presence, including propaganda networks and intelligence cooperation with governments such as Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Cuba, warning that disinformation campaigns seek to weaken democratic institutions and pro-U.S. governments. In closing, Sands called for a renewed commitment to national sovereignty, economic independence, and strong alliances across the Western Hemisphere, encouraging deeper cooperation on security, trade, and investment while rejecting criminal organizations, narcotics trafficking, and opaque agreements with malign foreign actors.