Chapter 168 That Time I Launched the Caribbean Belt in South America (2)

TL: Skye

“Your Excellency, the White House has informed us that President Drump of the United States will arrive tomorrow at around two in the afternoon.”

“Wait.”

He was actually coming?

I set down my coffee cup when I heard Isabella's report.

“......”

Isabella gave me a meaningful look.

“To get the US president moving with a single phone call... You really are remarkable.”

“I didn't exactly intend for this to happen.”

“That's what makes it even more impressive. In the end, the US president is coming in person to support the Caribbean Belt, so we couldn't ask for more.”

Isabella spoke firmly.

‘She's not wrong.’

This wasn't really the result I'd wanted.

All I'd done was let him know in advance that we planned to make the Caribbean Belt a dollar economic zone. I'd never dreamed Drump would fly over himself.

‘Can the US president really act on a whim like this... Oh, right. That's just how he is.’

In any case, the US president was visiting, so we had to begin the protocol arrangements.

“Please ask Anna, the protocol secretary, to make the arrangements.”

“I've already given the instructions.”

“...That was quick.”

And so, the following afternoon.

Air Force One landed at Libertad International Airport.

Only after the door opened and a bodyguard checked the surroundings did President Drump appear.

He was a giant of a man, over 190 centimeters tall, with his trademark blond hair blowing in the Caribbean breeze.

Drump spread his arms wide as he came down the stairs.

“Yu-jin! My friend!”

“It's been a while.”

“Haha! I feel good every time I come here.”

That would be because your casino's here.

“I'm truly grateful for your fondness for San Marcos.”

“Hahaha. Let's get going!”

And so, on the way from the airport to the Presidential Palace.

“A lot of new things have sprung up here, too. It seems to change every time I visit.”

Libertad had indeed changed considerably since Drump's last visit.

There was a new library, the LBC broadcasting station, and even a football stadium undergoing renovation.

Drump looked around, talking nonstop.

“The Caribbean Belt is a great idea. It gave me chills when I first heard about it.”

“Is that so?”

“With my backing, that idea can go even further.”

“......”

I nodded and agreed with him.

Drump's intentions were obvious.

He wanted to package the expansion of the dollar economic zone as his own achievement.

He also wanted to establish US influence within the Caribbean Belt.

Of course, the effects of the US president's public support would be enormous.

In the eyes of the international community, being an economic bloc backed by the United States was as good as a guarantee of credibility.

We were using each other, so I decided to play along willingly.

“I'm simply grateful for your support.”

“Hahahaha! It's good for both of us.”

Drump let out a hearty laugh.

*

Two hours later.

The Grand Conference Room of the Presidential Palace.

The four of us sat facing one another.

Me. Drump. Bukele. Telsy.

Drump got straight to the point as soon as he sat down.

“If you declare the Caribbean Belt a dollar economic zone, the United States is prepared to invest on a massive scale.”

I'd expected this, but I hadn't thought he'd be so bold about it.

“We'll invest in San Marcos, and San Marcos will invest in the Caribbean Belt.”

“What sort of scale do you have in mind?”

“I'll put up $30 billion as a loan. In one lump sum. With that, the Caribbean Belt would have smooth sailing ahead, wouldn't it?”

“......”

The amount was so much greater than expected that everyone fell silent.

San Marcos had secured a $100 billion loan, but it was to be disbursed in installments over ten years.

It could even be cut off if a new administration came to power.

By contrast, nothing could beat a lump-sum investment of $30 billion.

Drump rapped his fist on the table.

“But there's a condition.”

“Please go ahead.”

Drump turned to me.

“Make the dollar economic zone declaration today. Right here, right now. We'll make an official declaration with the leaders of all four countries gathered here. This will be a historic moment. A great moment!”

When the US president, the most powerful man in the world, showed up with money in hand and said to do it today, who could ask for more time?

In the end, everyone nodded.

“...I agree.”

That one sentence decided the Caribbean Belt's fate.

The official signing ceremony for the Caribbean Belt Agreement.

A signing table was set up in the Grand Conference Room of the Presidential Palace, and the four leaders sat side by side.

Camera flashes went off.

Yu-jin signed first, followed by Telsy and Bukele in turn.

As the pens were set down, this was what each of the four was thinking.

‘This is a historic day. Three countries becoming a single economic community.’

Telsy, meanwhile, thought.

‘How can I ever repay this kindness...’

Bukele thought.

‘O heavens, protect El Salvador from wicked San Marcos.’

Drump thought.

‘If I post this on social media, my approval rating should go up by at least 5%, right?’

The four shook hands and smiled for the cameras.

The same photograph. The same smiles. But four completely different private thoughts.

And as soon as the signing ceremony ended, Drump took out his phone and snapped a selfie.

A selfie of Yu-jin and Drump standing side by side went up on social media.

[I struck a great deal with my friend Yu-jin! The Caribbean Belt will make America stronger than ever and become a steadfast ally of the United States! This is tremendous!]

In just ten minutes, it had over 500,000 views.

‘He really is remarkable. In a different way.’

Yu-jin shook his head.

***

Once the Caribbean Belt was officially launched and US investment was confirmed, things began moving quickly.

The United States was the first to act.

The White House announced the Caribbean Belt Special Cooperation Plan.

The loan was its centerpiece.

For its part, San Marcos established the Caribbean Development Corporation and began investing the loan funds it received.

The first project to get underway was the expansion of Acajutla's port.

San Marcos would provide the investment, while the Salvadoran government would hold the operating rights.

The massive project would expand Acajutla, which currently handled around 500,000 TEU of cargo annually, to a capacity of two million TEU.

El Salvador had a hidden advantage to add to this.

CAFTA-DR.

El Salvador is a member of CAFTA-DR, a free trade agreement with the United States.

Under this agreement, most goods exported from El Salvador to the United States are exempt from tariffs.

What does that mean?

It means that petroleum products, textiles, agricultural goods, processed steel products, and the like produced in the Caribbean Belt can be exported to the United States through El Salvador at a tariff rate of 0%.

Direct exports from San Marcos to the United States are subject to tariffs. Sanctions on Venezuela are being lifted, but they haven't been lifted entirely.

But through El Salvador, there are no tariffs.

El Salvador would become an export gateway to the United States, the world's largest consumer market.

This was where Bukele's strategy of specializing in logistics, six months in the making, proved its worth.

This was exactly why he'd expanded Acajutla's port and upgraded the free trade zone.

A crossroads for logistics. It had become a hub where goods arriving from the Caribbean Belt to the east met goods arriving from the Pacific to the west.

The second project was to build a large fleet of oil tankers.

The Caribbean Development Corporation purchased twelve used oil tankers from the United States.

It then leased them to Venezuela so the country could assemble a tanker fleet.

The project was intended to ensure a steady flow of crude oil to San Marcos and El Salvador. With tanker charter rates soaring in the wake of the Strait of Hormuz blockade, the aim was to cut crude oil logistics costs by more than 30% by securing a fleet of their own.

The third was the construction of massive oil storage facilities in San Marcos.

The plan was to expand Tortilla Energy's existing facilities to make San Marcos an oil hub for Latin America.

Securing an initial storage capacity of five million barrels and ultimately expanding it to twenty million would provide a buffer against fluctuations in global oil prices.

The facilities would also serve as strategic reserves, stockpiling oil when prices were low and selling it when prices were high.

Once all three projects were running simultaneously, they would create a large number of jobs.

Port construction workers, ship crews, oil facility operators, and logistics managers.

Around 30,000 in San Marcos, around 20,000 in El Salvador, and around 50,000 in Venezuela. A total of 100,000 new jobs were projected.

As soon as he returned home to El Salvador, Bukele ordered the president of the state-owned bank to simulate the economic impact if all the plans went ahead.

“The three Caribbean Belt countries' combined GDP is projected to grow by more than 30% within the next three years.”

“As much as 30%?”

“Yes. With an influx of US capital, the energy pipeline coming online, increased port cargo traffic, and expanded exports to the US through CAFTA-DR all working together, that figure is entirely achievable.”

The president of the state-owned bank added.

“El Salvador in particular is expected to see the strongest growth.”

“What leads you to that conclusion?”

“With the port expansion, our development into a logistics hub, and our status as a gateway for tariff-free exports under CAFTA-DR, El Salvador alone could see its GDP grow by nearly 40%.”

Bukele fell silent as he looked down at the report.

40%.

El Salvador's current GDP was around $32 billion.

With 40% growth, it would approach $45 billion.

Since Bukele had taken office, El Salvador's annual economic growth had averaged a mere 2–3%.

He had earned international praise for bringing crime under control, but the economy had been treading water.

And now, 40% in just three years.

“...You're saying that figure is achievable?”

“Yes. Even by a conservative estimate, 20% is achievable. US capital, investment from San Marcos, and the benefits of a logistics hub would all come into play at once.”

Bukele leaned back in his chair and looked out the window.

He had mixed feelings.

San Marcos was indeed invading El Salvador's economy.

It had dressed everything up as the Caribbean Belt to lower El Salvador's guard, then taken over food, finance, and manufacturing one by one.

Whenever he put up speed bumps, it went around them, and whenever he stalled for time, it pushed ahead with sheer momentum.

It had even brought Drump in, leaving him without any grounds for opposition.

In a way, he'd been completely outplayed.

And yet.

Even as he was being outplayed, he was getting something out of it.

For one thing, food prices had fallen.

And jobs had been created.

As a result, his approval rating had rebounded.

Now growth for the entire nation was within reach.

Bukele smiled wryly.

A president trying to grow his country's economy by sponging off another nation.

But reality was reality.

El Salvador didn't have the kind of resources Venezuela did.

Its population was under seven million, and its weak industrial base was no match for San Marcos's.

It could never achieve growth at this pace on its own.

Standing beside the political monster that was Yu-jin Choi.

That was the best choice available to Bukele for now.

‘Still.’

He had made sure his country had a way to stand on its own.

‘Yu-jin Choi. I'll admit I'm playing this game on your board. But just you wait. Someday, I'll turn the tables.’

The dictator newbie's journey wasn't over yet.

*****

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