THE AMERICAS: Peking Calling

"The Chinese people and the Latin American people," said Peking's Mayor Peng Chen at a January rally in honor of Mexico's visiting ex-President Lázaro Cárdenas, "have common aspirations and interests in the just struggle against imperialism." More and more, with all the propaganda arts, Red China is trying to make itself the Communist model for Latin America—even at Russia's expense. Last week a team of Chinese "journalists" wound up a successful friendship tour through South America in Havana, where a fortnight ago plans were announced for a Communist-line Chinese-language daily for Cuba's 30,000 Chinese.*Radio Peking bragged of the warm welcome the team got from Army Boss Raul Castro. "China had Chiang Kai-shek and Cuba had Batista," the station quoted Raúl. "Mao Tse-tung is one of the most respected figures among Latin American youth."

Principal offshoot of the Red propaganda missions has been an upsurge in visits behind the Bamboo Curtain by Latin Americans. Last year 37 delegations, most of them going through Russia first, got the VIP tour; so far this year, more than 40 have entered China. By and large, they have found the going good—and said so. Colombia's Congressman Horacio Rodriguez Plata climaxed a Peking banquet by praising China's "defense of peace." Rasped Chile's former Minister of the Interior Guillermo del Pedregal to Peking University students: "U.S. imperialism is our common archenemy."

Red China, which has been actively promoting the Latin American tourist trade for only three years, stresses common interests, arguing that the Latin American republics and the "People's Democracy" share colored skin, a yen for industrialization, a mutual distaste for the yanqui. Result: Peking is fast replacing Moscow as the mecca of the Latin left.