China draws line against US in Latin America The Wall Street Journal writes

China is showing it won’t back down in the US backyard, Latin America. According to The Wall Street Journal, Beijing’s recently released policy paper on Latin America and the Caribbean signals a sustained effort to expand influence in the region, countering Washington’s attempts to reassert dominance. The 6,700-word document, China’s first on the region in nearly a decade, underscores Beijing’s narrative of global power shifts and its commitment to solidarity with the Global South.

The timing of China’s paper is striking, coming less than a week after the Trump administration unveiled a national-security strategy pledging to “restore American pre-eminence in the Western Hemisphere” and “deny non-Hemispheric competitors.” Analysts see China’s policy as a deliberate counterweight to what it perceives as US encirclement in Asia and now assertive moves in Latin America. “Great power competition in the region has only just begun,” said a Center for Strategic and International Studies analysis, highlighting Beijing’s intention to strengthen diplomatic and economic ties while positioning itself as an alternative to the US

China’s influence is expanding through infrastructure projects, resource extraction, and engagement with local political elites. The country now counts 24 signatories in the region to its Belt and Road Initiative, up from zero before 2017, and has become the leading trading partner for many Latin American nations. Ryan Berg, co-author of the CSIS analysis, emphasized that “China’s strategy is basically not giving an inch,” reflecting Beijing’s long-term ambition to consolidate political and economic footholds.

Venezuela has become an early test of China’s assertiveness. Beijing has condemned US military buildup and sanctions measures around the Maduro regime as illegal and hegemonic, with Sun Lei, China’s deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, stating at a Security Council meeting, “We stand against any move that violates the purposes and principles of the U.N. Charter and infringes upon other countries’ sovereignty and security.” While most support is likely rhetorical, Chinese state media’s war game simulations around Cuba and Mexico signal Beijing’s readiness to project power and test strategic concepts in the Western Hemisphere.

Military action remains unlikely, yet Washington is wary of China’s potential development of “strategic support points,” including ports that could serve as logistics hubs. The US Department of Defence notes Cuba as a country where China may have considered establishing a military presence, though current inroads focus on soft power, economic leverage, and satellite cooperation.

Panama illustrates the high-stakes US-China tussle. Trump sought to counter Beijing’s influence by asserting control over the Panama Canal and encouraging the nation’s withdrawal from the Belt and Road Initiative. Despite deals and infrastructure manoeuvres, China has used corporate leverage to maintain influence, pressuring firms to ensure ports remain under Chinese control. Beyond economics, Beijing’s policy prioritises severing the region’s remaining diplomatic ties with Taiwan, offering incentives to countries aligning with its “One China” principle.

China’s strategy paper and actions clearly signal a nuanced, multifaceted approach: economic integration, political leverage, strategic signalling, and soft power diplomacy. By contrasting its initiatives with Trump’s Monroe Doctrine revival, Beijing positions itself as both a partner and a challenger, signalling that US preeminence in the Western Hemisphere will no longer go untested.

By Jeyhun Aghazada