Chinese ambassador in Brazil, Zhu Qingqiao says that Latin American countries are not “nobody” when defending cooperation
China has reinforced its investment in relations with Latin America and the Caribbean as a strategy to expand its global influence and counteract the hegemony of the United States in the region. The approach was reaffirmed during the 4th Meeting of the Asian Country Forum with the CELAC (Latin American and Caribbean Community), held on May 13, 2025, in Beijing, with the presence of Presidents Xi Jinping (China), (Brazil), (Colombia), (Chile) and other regional representatives.
The event marked the 10th anniversary of the forum created in 2014, during a visit from XI to Brazil, and resulted in the approval of. The package includes measures in the areas of infrastructure, trade, education, culture and digital connectivity.
The Chinese government also announced the concession of 3,500 scholarships and 10,000 training vacancies to the states that make up CELAC and the beginning, in the experimental phase, for citizens from 5 countries in the region, including Brazil.
An important point was the presence of representatives of Haiti and Saint Lucia at the meeting in Beijing. Although they maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan, not with China, both were well received at the meeting. 5 other Latin American countries that also recognize Taiwan – as Paraguay – did not send representatives.
Reaction to the USA
The intensification of relations between China and Latin America can be interpreted as a response to the United States. Since the beginning of Donald Trump’s 2nd term (Republican Party), the 2 countries have looked at a trade war, with tariffs more than 100%.
As the Poder360Chinese have expanded their influence on Latin America and, in many cases ,. In Brazil, for example, trade with Americans grew 215.3% from 2000 to 2024, from US $ 29.2 billion to US $ 92 billion. In the same period, exchanges with China jumped from US $ 2.8 billion to US $ 188.4 billion – an increase of 6,522%.
In 1981, China occupied among the largest trading partners in Brazil. In 2009, he reached 1st place, a position he keeps to this day.
Chinese onslaught in the region
In the evaluation of the government of Xi Jinping, Latin America represents a strategic ally in the face of a global scenario marked by disputes between blocks and advancement of protectionism.
In this Poder360the Chinese ambassador in Brazil, states that the relationship seeks to strengthen the autonomy of Latin American countries in the face of external powers.
He argues that the region “It’s not anyone’s backyard” -In reference to a speech by the Secretary of Defense of the United States, Pete Hegseth, on April 13, 2025. Trump has also stated that between the US and China.
Cooperation between the parties has advanced mainly through the belt and route initiative, proposed by Xi in 2013. The so -called New Seda Route is one of the largest economic programs of the Asian giant. It includes infrastructure and logistics projects that interconnect the country to land and water to Central Asia, south and southeast of the continent, Europe, Africa and other places in the world.
Currently, 149 countries are already part of the initiative. Brazil is not part of the new silk route.
During the ministerial meeting, President XI also announced 5 new axes of action between China and Latin America: solidarity, development, civilization, peace and exchange between peoples. The intention, according to Beijing, is to build a “Community of shared future”.
Beyond Trade PartnershipsChina has sought to narrow political ties with the Latin American countries. In 2024, for example, Brazil and China signed the “consensus of 6 points” about the war in Ukraine and created the “Peace Friends Group” in the UN (United Nations), with one.
