Trump hosts Latin American leaders with China in focus

WASHINGTON, Mar 7: President Donald Trump will host Latin American leaders in Florida on Saturday as his administration seeks to counter China's growing influence in the region, a diplomatic show just days after US strikes on Iran opened a new front in the Middle East.

The summit comes as Trump prepares for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing at the end of March. The Trump administration hopes to pull Latin America closer to Washington after years of growing Chinese trade, lending and infrastructure investment in the region.

Saturday's gathering, dubbed the "Shield of the Americas," also gives Trump a chance to project strength closer to home even as the conflict in the Middle East leads to consequences he may not fully control, such as rising prices for oil and gas.

Kristi Noem will be special envoy for the "Shield of the Americas", Trump posted Thursday. Noem was Homeland Security secretary until Trump removed her ?from that post this week after mounting criticism of her from Congress.

The summit brings together conservative leaders aligned with Trump on security, migration and economics, reflecting a broader rightward shift in parts of Latin America.

Among those expected to attend are Argentine President Javier Milei, Chile's president-elect Jose Antonio Kast and Salvadoran President NayibBukele, whose gang crackdown, criticized by human rights groups, has become a model for parts of Latin America's right.    �"REUTERS