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China-Latin America relations

China-Latin America relations
News, features and updates on Beijing's relations with various Latin American nations, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, Paraguay, Peru, Venezuela and more.
Serra Verde is Brazil’s only operating rare earth mine. Photo: Handout
Rare earths

China and the US want rare earths. Brazil will share – on one condition

Move comes as Washington locks US$565 million deal with Brazil’s only operating rare earth mine.

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China’s private sector

Chinese firms drawn to Brazil as they seek anchor for Latin America expansion

Brazil

BYD made Brazil’s slave labour list. The man behind the decision lost his job

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US-Venezuela conflict

‘Eager to explore’: Chinese migrants return to Venezuela after Maduro’s capture

A large chunk of Venezuela’s Chinese community fled overseas during Maduro’s rule. Now, many are returning as they see ‘new opportunities’.

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Illustration by Henry Wong
Russia

China, Russia rally behind Cuba as US squeezes Havana in deepening crisis

‘China is willing to work with the international community to firmly support Cuba,’ said a Beijing spokesperson.

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China economy

Opinion | Why Latin America is becoming indispensable to China

Latin America fits Beijing’s need for alternative partners with uncomfortable precision. That is a problem for Washington.

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United States

Cattle prices rocket as Brazil set to exhaust Chinese beef quota by May

As Beijing tariff nears, Brazil’s exporters are rapidly reaching their quota for China, forcing South American industry to seek new buyers.

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People shop for beef at a supermarket in Fuzhou, Fujian province, China. Brazil’s beef exporters are rapidly filling their quota for China, leaving them now seeking new buyers. Photo: China News Service/VCG via Getty Images
Mainland China

Chile exposes smuggling ring that shipped US$917m in stolen copper to China

Chilean investigators dismantled cross-border networks after one of largest organised crime operations in South American country’s history.

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Brazil

Brazil blacklists China EV giant BYD for its slave labour conditions

Government officials said staff were working excessively long hours while being kept in degrading circumstances in their accommodation.

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Mainland China

Rubio raises concerns over China’s detention of Panama-flagged ships

Panama’s decision to strip Panama Ports Company of its concessions is a test of US backing for countries challenging China, experts say.

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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the G7 Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Paris last month. Photo: Reuters
Brazil

Brazil exporters bypass local banks to tap China’s US$1 trillion Sinosure fund

As Brazilian interest rates price out local lenders, Sinosure is quietly reshaping how Chinese goods reach the market.

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Brazilian importers buying from China are turning to the state-owned Chinese credit insurer, Sinosure, to sustain trade flows that reached US$158 billion in 2024. Photo: Shutterstock
Brazil

US threats for Chile, China tariffs Mexico: 7 Latin America relations reads

From Panama Canal woes to an undersea cable scandal in Chile, here are highlights from the SCMP’s foreign correspondents in March 2026.

Panama

China denies retaliating against Panama ships, accuses Washington of canal grab

US body says Beijing’s inspections of Panama-flagged ships exceed historical norms and may be reprisals over ousted Hong Kong operator.

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Mexico

China threatens Mexico with trade reprisals over 50% import duties

Economy secretary rejected Beijing’s complaints, saying Chinese firms sell below cost with state backing and Mexico will not back down.

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Mexican Secretary of Economy Marcelo Ebrard earlier this month in Mexico City. Photo: EPA
US-China relations

US claims China manipulating its position at UN to undermine America’s interests

House Select Committee says Beijing using monetary contributions, critical UN posts and strategic troop deployment to expand its reach.

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China’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Fu Cong, addresses the Security Council at UN headquarters in New York on February 18. Photo: Reuters
Cuba

As Trump ramps up pressure on Cuba, China has ‘very limited options’

Any response from Beijing is likely to be constrained to diplomatic opposition and humanitarian aid, according to analysts.

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US-China relations

US tracks 23 Chinese port projects in Latin America, general tells Congress

Top US commander says Chinese port and space projects across Latin America are all seen as potential dual-use military assets.

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Americas and the Caribbean

Channeling Trump, Chile’s new president launches work on border barrier

Arch-conservative leader Kast has vowed to crack down on immigration from Peru and Bolivia with his ‘Border Shield’ plan.

A machine digs along a section of Chile’s northern border. Photo: AP
Brazil

China wants Brazil’s biggest port terminal. Washington just said no

US consul-general Kevin Murakami told port executives the Santos megadeal should not fall into ‘unwanted hands’.

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United States

Amid China cable fallout, Chile’s president ends term, calls for unity

Undersea fibre-optic cable project linking Chile to Hong Kong enraged US, causing dispute that defined Gabriel Boric’s final weeks in office.

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Chile

US threats and a Chinese cable scandal mark first day for Chile’s new president

The US forced Chile to cancel a Chinese undersea cable. Now the region is asking who gets to decide what infrastructure Latin America builds.

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Jose Antonio Kast was elected as Chile’s president in November after his Republican Party won just over 58 per cent of the vote. Photo: Reuters
China exports

Chinese companies expand globally

Chinese firms are investing in overseas factories and marketing to develop global brands. Domestic price wars are pushing more companies to go global – “chuhai” in Chinese – in search of new growth opportunities.

Chinese companies expand globally

Ousted president, China-linked crime, Panama: 7 Latin America relations reads

From friction over the Panama Canal to steel dumping and crime, here are highlights from the SCMP’s foreign correspondents in February 2026.

Chile

Why won’t Chile let China’s military hospital ship give medical aid?

The vessel has sailed into Valparaiso’s waters as the geopolitical winds shift in the western hemisphere.

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Venezuela

The View | Venezuela and Panama aren’t the whole story of China in Latin America

While recent events highlight the risks in volatile states, China’s position in Latin America is rooted in deep trade and investment links with the region’s largest economies.

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A man on a motorcycle transports water bottles past pumpjacks, beside deteriorating oil infrastructure on the shores of Lake Maracaibo, in Cabimas, Venezuela on January 26. Photo: Reuters
CK Hutchison

Panama ousts Hong Kong operator from canal ports in ruling backed by Washington

White House says Panama’s move to assert sovereignty over Balboa and Cristobal aligns with Donald Trump’s vision for the canal.

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The port of Balboa, managed by Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison Holdings, at the entrance to the Panama Canal in Panama City. On Monday, Panama took control of the ports in Balboa and Cristobal. Photo: AFP
Americas and the Caribbean

Peru Congress picks country’s eighth president in a decade

Jose Maria Balcazar installed as Peru’s interim president after Jose Jeri was ousted after barely four months in office.

Mainland China

Chinese steel hit with duties up to US$670 per tonne after Brazil dumping probe

Government anti-dumping investigation found Chinese imports were being sold at unfairly low prices, harming domestic producers.

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