Thursday, Latin American officials confronted U.S. Vice President Joe Biden over his exclusion of Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua from an Americas conference he is hosting, highlighting the difficulties he faces in reclaiming leadership in the area.

In addresses that followed Biden's inaugural address in Los Angeles, in which he outlined his concept for a new U.S. economic alliance with Latin America, two fellow leaders criticized him.

On the first day of the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles, Biden stated that his government is committed to assisting Latin America and the Caribbean in recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, combating illegal migration, and enhancing living conditions.

In response to his decision to exclude Washington's three primary regional adversaries, several politicians led by Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador boycotted the summit.

Shortly after Vice President Joe Biden's speech extolling the advantages of democracy in the area, Belize's Prime Minister John Briceno denounced the absence of Cuba and Venezuela, calling the "illegal blockade against Cuba" a "affront to humanity."

"In actuality, it is unpatriotic. Mr. President, the time has come to release the blockage "Briceno reprimanded Biden, who sat only a few feet away while seated.

Argentina's president followed Briceno with a left-leaning ideology, Alberto Fernandez, who stated, "the silence of those who are absent is calling to us" and claimed that the host nation lacked the authority to impose the "right of admission" to the conference.

Fernandez stated, "We definitely would've wished for a different Summit of the Americas,"

Two more speakers, the leaders of Panama and Paraguay, adhered mainly to the summit's agenda.

Biden responded in his concluding remarks by telling the leaders: "I heard numerous significant ideas offered. In spite of a few disputes regarding participation, I heard near unanimity regarding the subject matter."

After years of relative neglect under former President Donald Trump, the summit was envisaged as a chance to reestablish U.S. dominance and oppose China's rising economic inroads in the area. The issue surrounding the invitation list has undermined Biden's efforts, though.

Biden asked U.S. business executives at a U.S. Chamber of Commerce conference to improve the region's struggling economies with increased investment and support for his ecologically friendly partnership proposal.

Biden's hosting of the opening session, which centered primarily on clean energy efforts, was followed by his first formal meeting with climate change skeptic Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.

Bolsonaro, a Trump supporter on the far right whose relations with Biden have been frosty, stated that the two countries had drifted apart for ideological reasons and that he was interested in reestablishing ties with the United States.

However, Bolsonaro appeared to indicate he would accept the conclusion of Brazil's presidential election in October while previously expressing misgivings, which prompted U.S. concerns. "I was elected by democracy, and I am sure that when I leave the government, it will also be in a democratic way," he said.

The supply chain

Biden described his planned "Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity" to the business conference, stating that it was intended to bring supply chains closer to home, restructure the Inter-American Development Bank, streamline investment, and "into high gear." climate action.

However, the strategy, which looks like a work in progress, does not give tariff relief and will initially focus on countries with which the United States already has trade agreements.

Biden, in a veiled jab at China, stated, "We want to make sure our closest neighbors have a real choice between the debt trap development that has become ... more and more common in the region, and the high-quality transparent approach to infrastructure investment that delivers lasting gains for workers and families."

U.S. officials have publicly accused China of pursuing deals in the developing countries that impose long-term debt on their partners.

With problems at the U.S.-Mexico border also ranking high on Biden's priority list, leaders were expected to issue a declaration on Friday promising measures to curb irregular migration and assist countries hosting large numbers of migrants in dealing with them, according to a draft document seen by Reuters.

As part of a series of initiatives, the United States will unveil programs to facilitate hiring temporary Central American workers, according to White House documents seen by Reuters on Thursday.

The White House did not reply to a request for comment immediately.

Difficulties at home and abroad

Biden hosts the summit amid domestic and international concerns, including rising inflation, the debate over gun regulation in the wake of further mass murders, and the conflict in Ukraine.

Instead of bolstering regional cohesion, the summit has been marred by diplomatic turmoil prompted by Washington's exclusion of three communist nations based on their poor human rights and democratic records.

Lopez Obrador of Mexico followed through on a warning to abstain if not all nations were invited. At the same time, several other leaders did the same, and a few others stayed home for different reasons. This reduced the number of foreign heads of state and government attending to 21.

Biden replied, "No," in response to a reporter's inquiry about whether he was concerned about confident leaders boycotting the meeting. His assistants have minimized his absences.

Lopez Obrador supported Washington's efforts to expand economic relations in the region but urged the United States to end its decades-long dispute with Cuba. Cuba was invited to the previous two summits of the Americas.