A senior official poised to be the next US deputy secretary of state testified before lawmakers on Tuesday that Washington should shift US foreign engagement away from traditional aid and toward private sector investment.
He argued that economic engagement through private investment instead of government aid would be a more sustainable and effective approach to countering foreign influence, particularly from China.
Landau pointed to his time as ambassador to Mexico, nearly two years that ended in January 2021, when he noted how Beijingโs diplomats in the Latin American country โ the regionโs second-largest economy โ were able to pledge investments through state-backed companies while he lacked the authority to do the same.
โIf I were to go to a [Mexican] state and they would talk to me about their investment needs and their resources, I have to go to the private sector. I could not tell them what weโre going to do,โ he said.
