China provides El Salvador with lifeline on health and tech

China will give El Salvador $150 million to spur development of social and technological projects, the Salvadoran president said on Wednesday, the latest sign of deepening ties between the countries that has alarmed the United States.

Salvadoran President Salvador Sanchez Ceren is returning from his first trip to China since the countries established diplomatic ties in August. Speaking on local television, Sanchez Ceren said he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the visit and agreed to 13 joint projects, without providing details.

The donation marks China’s latest gambit to make inroads in Central America, a campaign that has drawn the ire of the United States.