China-Cuba ‘US security threat’, Brazil’s rare earths: Latin America relations reads
From Argentina’s shrinking China lifeline to the US’ Cuba worries, here are highlights from the SCMP’s foreign correspondents in May 2026
1. US casts Cuba as China-linked security threat while still pushing for talks
One day after the United States brought criminal charges against former Cuban leader Raul Castro over the 1996 shooting down of two civilian aircraft, President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio portrayed Cuba as both a growing national security threat tied to China and Russia, and a candidate for a negotiated political transition.
2. Panama rejects US pressure claims as it seeks to ease China tensions
Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino in May rejected suggestions that US pressure had shaped his government’s handling of a dispute over ports near the Panama Canal, as Panama sought to stabilise relations with Beijing and renew a key maritime agreement.
3. How a US$5 billion Chinese lifeline to Argentina shrank to almost nothing
Argentina is on the verge of settling its debt with China’s central bank, winding down a currency lifeline that kept the country afloat during years of financial turmoil, and now sits at the centre of a geopolitical tug of war between Washington and Beijing.