Chinese Ambassador Outlines Bilateral Successes in Diario El Salvador

On April 29, 2021, the state-funded newspaper Diario El Salvador published an extensive interview with the Chinese Ambassador to El Salvador, Ou Jianhong (欧箭虹). In the interview, the ambassador characterized the bilateral relationship as having “consolidated” following President Nayib Bukele’s 2019 state visit to China. She utilized the platform to push several key PRC strategic narratives: dismissing concerns of “secret agreements” by emphasizing transparency, highlighting record-breaking Salvadoran sugar exports to China (up 105.7 percent in 2020), and framing China’s “vaccine diplomacy” and infrastructure gifts — including a new National Library and a new National Stadium — as “disinterested cooperation.” Notably, the Ambassador praised the Bukele administration’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic as a “global example.” This placement is an example of how China uses state-aligned local media to validate a partner government’s domestic performance while simultaneously promoting the benefits of aligning with the PRC’s geopolitical and economic framework.