- China's presence in Latin America continues to grow through economic, diplomatic, and military engagement.
- US Southern Command, which is responsible for US operations in the region, is keenly aware of China's presence and sees four main avenues through which Beijing is expanding it.
- China's aim may not necessarily be to replace the US, but Beijing's way of doing business may have real consequences for the region.
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In early December, El Salvador's president announced that China had agreed to "gigantic, non-refundable cooperation" with his country, investing an undisclosed amount in projects including a stadium, water-treatment plant, and tourist development.
Less than two weeks later, Argentina's new government said it was ready to join the Belt and Road initiative, China's sprawling infrastructure and development effort, which would make it the first of the region's four major economies to do so.
Those two developments at opposite ends of Latin America are only the latest signs of China's deepening ties in the region.
Perceptions of China in the region vary, ranging from trading partner to geopolitical predator. The US, which named China and Russia as "great power competitors" in its most recent National Defense Strategy, regards Beijing's presence warily.
"China's the number-one trading partner with the United States ... [and] number-one trading partner with South America, so when our National Defense Strategy called out competition with China, that was the right thing to do," Navy Adm. Craig Faller, head of US Southern Command, which is responsible for the region south of Mexico, said in October.
At two events in Washington, DC, in October, Faller described four avenues through which he said Beijing is advancing its interests in the region.
