China’s policy document towards Latin America and the Caribbean was presented in Beijing on Wednesday, in which the country updates its proposals for the region and promises cooperation in 40 areas, from agriculture to technological innovation. The launch draws attention because it comes just days after the release of the United States’ National Security Strategy (NSS), which proposes to resurrect the spirit of the Monroe Doctrine, formulated in the 19th century to reassert American predominance in the Western Hemisphere.
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This is the third edition of the document, which in previous editions was launched discreetly in Beijing. This time, however, the presentation took place in the presence of regional coordinators from Latin American countries, who came to the country invited by the Chinese government for a program that combines diplomacy and tourism. The reason for the invitation was a meeting on the Joint Action Plan established in May, during the China-Colac Forum (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) meeting.
Of the 33 member countries of Celac, 24 responded to the invitation and sent their coordinators, including Brazil, represented by Ambassador Daniela Arruda Benjamin, director of the Regional Integration Department in Itamaraty. Although the meeting on the Joint Action Plan had been planned for months, diplomats were surprised by the ceremony to launch the policy document. Due to the geopolitical moment we are going through, this has been interpreted as a response to American strategy.
In conversation with the column, several ambassadors from Latin American countries in Beijing saw a clear message from the Chinese government regarding the ruptures caused by Donald Trump’s policies: if Washington sows uncertainty, Beijing is a source of stability. “No one accepts the Donroe doctrine,” said an ambassador, referring to the new political mutation of the old doctrine, on condition of anonymity.
In his speech opening the ceremony, Deputy Foreign Minister Cai Wei said China’s relations with Latin America “are simply a matter of mutual benefits and shared gains, without geopolitical calculations, are not targeted and should not be disrupted by any third party.” The target of the warning, even without being mentioned by name, is obviously the United States, as everyone present clearly understood.
“China rejects the propensity of a certain country to impose its own views on others and pressure Latin American and Caribbean countries to choose sides,” Cai said.
Regarding why he revised the previous version of the document (2016), Cai told the Chronicle that after nine years, it was necessary to adapt the country’s policy towards Latin America to the changes that occurred during this period. One of them, he explained, was the consolidation of the Belt and Road Initiative (“New Silk Road”), the infrastructure project that has become the flagship of Chinese economic diplomacy. Asked if Beijing still had any expectations for Brazil to formally join the project, Cai disagreed: “Ask your ambassador,” he laughed.
The main addition to the 2025 version is the incorporation into the document of the “Five Programs” presented at the China-Colac Forum ministerial meeting in May by Chinese President Xi Jinping, a sort of road map for deepening the country’s ties with Latin America. This includes political exchanges, financial cooperation with expanded use of local currencies and incentives for infrastructure projects on the continent. This seems more or less what the new US national security strategy considers harmful when it talks about removing “external influences” from the continent.
While the United States applies pressure, China is offering a varied menu of cooperation and the 66 billion yuan (50 billion reais) credit line announced by Xi in May. This is not philanthropy. To start, it has to be worth it for Chinese companies. Politically, the counterpart is loyalty to Beijing’s interest in Taiwan, the red line, the limit that cannot be transgressed,” Cai said in his speech.
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Recognition that the island (autonomously governed since 1949) is part of China is a “precondition”, the document released today emphasizes: “The one-China principle constitutes the political basis and an important precondition for the development of relations between China and other countries in the world.”
In his opening speech to the ceremony, Martin Charles, the Dominican ambassador, was enthusiastic. Charles declared that all of Latin America, “united with one voice,” supported the “one China” policy. It’s not quite like that. It is unlikely that he was authorized to speak for the entire continent. After all, of the 12 countries that still recognize Taiwan on the planet, seven are in Latin America (and are members of Celac). The geopolitical moment demands increased diplomatic balancing skills.
Two examples: although it wishes to maintain good relations with China, Panama had to announce its withdrawal from the New Silk Road, under pressure from the United States. On the other side of the conflict, President Javier Milei’s Argentina, one of Trump’s main allies in Latin America, has taken a pragmatic stance in the face of an invitation from the world’s second-largest economy. In any case, he preferred to send a representative to the Celac meeting in Beijing.
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