US President Trump’s customs policy caused affected states to deepen their trade relationships. This is accommodating Chinese interests in Latin America.
Even if China’s exporters are hit hard by the fierce customs dispute with the United States: in strategic terms, the People’s Republic can also pull advantages out of the conflict. The new US customs regime requires those affected to look for the United States for trade routes.
This is almost a stroke of luck for China’s “New Silk Road”, the global infrastructure and trade project that has been systematically pursuing Beijing for more than ten years. With ports, railways, highways and pipelines, Chinese participation for the equivalent of hundreds of billions of dollars worldwide are created that open up new sales markets for Chinese producers.
Numerous projects in Latin America
This also happens in the immediate vicinity of the USA: in Beijing there is a forum with the community of Latin American and Caribbean states (Celac), on which state and party leader XI Jinping announced that it would further expand the shared trade. No matter how the world will change, China will always be a “good friend and partner” of the region, says XI.
His country wants to work more together in an environment of increasing block confrontation and protectionism in infrastructure, raw materials and food as well as 5G technology and artificial intelligence with Latin America and the Caribbean. China plans to provide 66 billion yuan (around 8.2 billion euros) for the development of the region. According to Chinese information, Beijing has already launched more than 200 infrastructure projects in the region.
Running with the West
Similar to its extensive commitment in Africa, the People’s Republic is not least interested in the raw materials in Latin America. China recently increased the import of soybeans from Brazil in order to be less dependent on US imports even in agricultural products. In addition, the countries in Latin America have important raw materials, such as lithium from Chile, which is particularly important in battery production.
Experts have long warned that the West is falling behind the strategic vision of China. The EU and the USA criticize that Beijing makes poorer countries dependent on itself with the silk-road initiative. However, the competing projects of the West are not close to the investments in China.
China is already the most important trading partner of the Celac countries after the United States. According to Beijing, the trading volume with the region was the equivalent of $ 518.4 billion in 2024.
Wrestling around the Panama Canal
An important symbol of this race is the newly flared conflict around the Panama Canal. US President Donald Trump claimed that China had control over the important Seehandelsroute because the Hong Kong Ck Hutchison is involved in ports there, and did not save threats to regain control of the channel.
In February, Panama said China’s “Seidenstraßen” project to leave, which may have been particularly due to the pressure from Washington. Beijing denies an influence on the route. Most recently, the planned sale of two channels from CK Hutchison to the US finance company Blackrock has called China’s authorities to check the deal.
With information from the news agency dpa.
