President Joe Biden’s trip to Peru last November to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit was a sobering reminder of how far the United States has fallen in Latin America. Instead of being met with displays of friendship, Biden’s motorcade passed through streets lined with Peruvians waving Chinese flags. It was a humiliating welcome for the president and shows America’s waning leadership in a region it once considered its backyard.
In contrast to the United States, Chinese President Xi Jinping was the main attraction at the summit and was honored with a state visit in Lima. While the United States has focused on other regions, China has slowly cultivated Latin America by building diplomatic and economic relations across the region for the past two decades. Beijing is able to present itself as an alternative to Washington — capitalizing on Latin resentment towards Washington.
China offers investment in infrastructure, energy and trade partnerships across the region. Peru, for example, has benefited from the $1.3 billion Chinese-funded Chancay megaport, which will strengthen Latin American-Asian trade and facilitate additional Chinese investment. This is an example of China’s approach to the region that uses economic incentives to bring Latin American economies into Chinese global supply chains.
In contrast, Washington’s Latin American engagement has declined and it has prioritized Europe, the Indo-Pacific, and the Middle East. The United States has failed to integrate the region into its larger strategic agenda. As Washington steps back, China has made an effort to establish and strengthen its regional connections. The economic data show the extent of the change: China’s regional trade with Latin America has improved 35 times over since 2000 and reached almost $500 billion in 2022, according to the U.N. Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean. Washington is simply seeking to maintain its existing relations and has seen its regional trade stagnate.
Opinion
The optics of Biden’s trip further underscored this decline. During the traditional APEC “family photo,” Biden was pushed to the background while Xi took center stage. While this may seem trivial, in the world of diplomacy, symbolism matters. It reflects the broader narrative of U.S. retreat and Chinese ascendancy. For Latin American nations, the message is clear — China is offering tangible benefits, while the United States is offering little more than words.
Under Biden, the United States did not have an answer to China’s economic and political Latin American partnerships. China secured free trade agreements with Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Peru and Uruguay and today is South America’s largest trading partner.
While the economic and diplomatic arrangements are the most important for Beijing, a 2016 Latin America policy white paper sought to prioritize building security and defense partnerships. To achieve this, China has established an annual conference for Latin American governments focusing on regional security that gives Beijing the ability to promote armed forces exchanges, offer professional military education, and market its weapons exports. The economic and infrastructure agreements provide the foundation for Beijing to expand its regional security prowess by slowly proposing new military and security arrangements.
The United States does not have a comprehensive approach to Latin America. While Biden recognized the threat Beijing posed to Latin America, he did make it a priority and his efforts failed. When Donald Trump takes office, he will have a narrow window of opportunity to reclaim American leadership in Latin America. If he fails to act decisively, the United States will lose more ground and find itself further isolated in a world where China’s influence is growing. Trump’s first term sought to curtail China’s global ambitions and it demonstrated the importance of fostering regional alliances. If Trump is able to leverage his unique negotiating style and focus on economic revitalization, he could rebuild American influence in the Western Hemisphere.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Trump’s choice to become Secretary of State, has long argued for a more comprehensive engagement with Latin America. He cosponsored the bipartisan Western Hemisphere Security Strategy Act bill in 2022 and renewed it in 2023 but could not get the votes to push it through Congress. In his confirmation hearing, Rubio reiterated that China was the greatest security threat and spent a significant portion addressing Latin American security issues — particularly, drug trafficking, terrorism and non-liberal states. Rubio’s long-term focus on the region makes him well-suited to lead America’s re-engagement.
A Trump-led resurgence in Latin America needs to begin with bold investments in energy, infrastructure and manufacturing. It is time for the United States to refocus on regional partnerships and create incentives for American businesses to invest in Latin America. This would allow Trump to counter Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative with a viable alternative. These strategic investments could allow the United States to secure a valuable supply chain that would benefit U.S. consumers and workers.
The stakes could not be higher. Latin America’s natural resources, critical supply chains, and strategic waterways are too important to concede to a geopolitical rival. If Trump acts decisively, he can restore U.S. leadership and prevent further encroachment by China. The United States risks losing not only an economic partner, but an entire region to its strategic future. Trump has the opportunity to develop a comprehensive vision to reclaim America’s place in the region. He can reverse the negative tide — the question is, will he seize this opportunity?
G. Doug Davis is a full professor of political science at Troy University and Michael Slobodchikoff is a professor of political science and the founding director of the Center for Eastern and Central European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies at Troy University.
Part of our series The Unraveling of Latin America. This essay discusses the influence of China in the region and how the US can counter that.
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Publish date : 2025-01-22 18:30:00
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