China Eyes Growing Economic, Diplomatic Ties Throughout Latin America

Contact Your Elected Officials

Amid a temporary deescalation of trade tensions with the United States, Beijing looks to continue building its influence in South America.

Communist China is moving to strengthen its ties with Latin America, inking several new diplomatic and economic agreements with nations there in recent weeks.

Speaking at a forum for Chinese and Latin American leaders in Beijing earlier this month, Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Xi Jinping said his regime stood ready to โ€œjoin handsโ€ with Latin America through political, economic, and security exchanges.

In a thinly veiled swipe at current U.S. trade policy, Xi said that there were โ€œno winners in tariff wars or trade warsโ€ and sought to position trade with China as a key means of diversifying supply chains away from the United States.

To that end, Xi promised to โ€œstand unitedโ€ with Latin American nations, pledging to boost imports, encourage Chinese companies to increase their investments there, and expand cooperation on clean energy, 5G communications, and artificial intelligence.

Beijing has since moved to initiate a suite of interlocking initiatives that aim to systematically build out Chinaโ€™s presence in Latin America and increase its political sway over the South American continent and the Caribbean.

CCP Offers Billions in New Credit

Key to Xiโ€™s efforts was the announcement of a new, $9.2 billion line of credit to support infrastructure investment in Latin American and Caribbean nations.

While the funding package is smaller than similar initiatives in recent years due to Chinaโ€™s own slowing economy, the move nevertheless represents a major push toward expanding the CCPโ€™s influence throughout the region via financial ties.

Notably, the credit line will be denominated exclusively in Chinese yuan, thereby encouraging Latin American nations to diversify their debts away from the U.S. dollar.

Just days after the announcement of the credit line, Colombiaโ€™s government also announced it had applied to join the China-based New Development Bank, as the nation seeks ways to balance losses from cuts to U.S. foreign aid.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro said that he was excited by the possibility that the bank might finance a new 75-mile canal connecting Colombiaโ€™s Atlantic and Pacific Ocean coastlines, which he said could position the country at the โ€œheartโ€ of trade between South America and Asia, and provide an alternative shipping line to the Panama Canal.

The New Development Bank was established a decade ago as a project of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, the so-called BRICS nations, and intended to counter U.S. dollar-led institutions like the World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank.

Frank Xie, business professor at the University of South Carolina, told The Epoch Times that such investments were likely aimed at creating an alternative trans-oceanic trade route now that the Trump administration was attempting to assert more economic control over the Panama Canal.

โ€œThe CCP obviously still wants to support the trans-oceanic railway and connect the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans through land transportation in South America at this time, and wants to bypass the Panama Canal,โ€ he said. โ€œI think this is part of the CCPโ€™s global strategy.โ€

Byย Andrew Thornebrooke

Read Full Article on TheEpochTimes.com

The Epoch Times
The Epoch Timeshttps://www.theepochtimes.com/
Tired of biased news? The Epoch Times is truthful, factual news that other media outlets don't report. No spin. No agenda. Just honest journalism like it used to be.

ChatGPT Goes Biblical about End Times!

There are some truly outstanding internet content creators, or...

Bangkok Indians: โ€˜You Are Lucky Manโ€™

In Bangkok, friendly prostitutes outside โ€œmassageโ€ shops tell me Iโ€™m โ€œso handsome man.โ€ Indian men prowling those streets tell me Iโ€™m โ€œlucky man.โ€

Epsteinโ€™s Niece Exposes the Illuminati!

There is a shocking interview by the podcaster Shaun Attwood, an English former ecstasy trafficker turned YouTube podcaster, speaker, activist, and author.

When Gynocrats Attack: Innocent Locker Room Talk Interrupted By Rabid Karen

The question posed: โ€œWho do you think has a...

Obamaโ€™s Treason is a Betrayal of American Democracy and Demands Real Accountability

Few scandals have cast a longer shadow than the 2016 Russia investigationโ€”the manufactured crisis by President Obama designed to cripple Trump's presidency.

Education Department to Release Billions in Withheld Grant Money for Schools

Dept. of Education said OMB completed a review of 2025 public education allocations โ€œand will begin dispersing funds to the states next week.โ€

Judge Maintains Nationwide Block on Trumpโ€™s Birthright Citizenship Order

A federal judge in Massachusetts has maintained his nationwide block on President Donald Trumpโ€™s policy restricting birthright citizenship.

COVID-19 Pandemic Accelerated Brain Aging Even in People Who Didnโ€™t Get Virus: Study

Brain aging appears to have accelerated by months during COVID-19 pandemic, even in people who did not get sick from the virus, according to study.

US Witnessing โ€˜CapEx Comebackโ€™ as Investment Wave Hits Economy: Treasury

The U.S. economy is experiencing a โ€œCapEx Comebackโ€ this year as private-sector investment soars, the Treasury Department said.

Ex-DOJ Officials File Lawsuit Against Bondi Over Terminations

Former DOJ officials filed lawsuit against AG Bondi and the fed. govt, saying they were terminated for work on cases related to Jan. 6 Capitol breach.

Odds of U.S.-EU Trade Deal Are 50โ€“50 Ahead of Tariff Deadline: Trump

President Donald Trump said thereโ€™s a 50โ€“50 chance that the United States will finalize a trade deal with the European Union before an Aug. 1 deadline.

Trump Pulls Habbaโ€™s Nomination for New Jerseyโ€™s Top Prosecutor, Making Her Acting US Attorney

President Trump withdrew his nomination of Alina Habba to serve as NJโ€™s top federal prosecutor, making her Acting US Attorney.

Trump Says He Wants Muskโ€™s Companies to โ€˜Thrive Like Never Beforeโ€™

On Thursday, President Trump said, โ€œI want Elon, and all businesses within our Country, to THRIVE, in fact, THRIVE like never before!โ€
spot_img

Related Articles