QCOSTARICA — The Secretary of State of the United States, Marco Rubio, warned on Tuesday that “it is better to be a friend than an enemy” of the U.S. and that the administration of President Donald Trump will continue to provide international aid for programs that make sense, since it is not about “charity.”
“One of my priorities is to make sure that the foreign policy of the United States is one in which it is better to be a friend than an enemy, it is better to be an ally than someone who creates problems. And, unfortunately, that has not been the case during several administrations,” Rubio said in a press conference after meeting with Costa Rica President Rodrigo Chaves.
According to Rubio, “sometimes it seems that it is better to be an enemy of the United States than a friend” because “if you are a friend they ignore you or do not help you and sometimes they criticize you; but if you are an enemy they want to make an arrangement,” a situation that he wants to change under the Trump government.
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“We cannot have a policy that rewards those who want to harm us and ignores countries that cooperate with us. That will change with President Trump,” he said.
Regarding international aid, Rubio said that “we froze aid to review the programs,” but said that the United States will continue to collaborate with its allies on initiatives “that make perfect sense,” citing cybersecurity and the fight against drug trafficking in Costa Rica as examples.
“These are programs that make the United States safer and stronger,” he said.
Rubio added that programs that save lives, such as food and medicine, are not included in the freezing of funds.
“I have always supported international aid and I will continue to support it. International aid is not charity. Every dollar we spend while I am Secretary of State and while President Trump is in the White House will be a dollar for the benefit of our national interests,” Rubio said.
The Secretary of State of the United States announced Monday that he had been appointed acting director of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), as rumors mount in the U.S. press that Trump could close it.
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Costa Rica firm in blocking Chinese 5G companies
During his short visit to Costa Rica, Rubio congratulated the government of Rodrigo Chaves or its firmness in blocking Chinese 5G companies.
“I want to congratulate and thank the president for his firmness in only allowing trusted suppliers in terms of 5G since this technology is ‘critical’ for all industries,” Rubio said.
Costa Rica and China established diplomatic relations in 2007 and one of the main achievements of this relationship is a Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
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In 2023, the Chaves government signed a decree establishing that in order to participate in contracts for Costa Rica’s 5G networks and equipment, the countries of origin of the interested companies must be signatories to the Budapest Convention on the fight against cybercrime.
China is not a signatory to this instrument, and therefore, Huawei the Chinese company with a wide presence in Costa Rica has been left out of the competition.
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