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1 1 (June 01, 2020)

handle is hein.crs/govdaru0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Updated June 1, 2020 China's Engagement with Latin America and the Caribbean As the People's Republic ofChina (PRC) has increased its engagement with Latin America and the Caribbean over nearly 20 years, U.S. policymakers have raised questions regarding potential implications for U.S. interests in the region. China's engagement with theregion has grown significantly since2001, particularly in terms of diplomatic and economic ties. This growthreflects China's increasing global soft power efforts worldwide. A successionof Chinese leaders and other officials have visited the region to court governments. In turn, regional leaders and officials have been frequentvisitors to China. The PRChas signed a variety ofbilateral partnership agreements with several countries in the region, including strategic partnerships with Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. Beijing's diplomatic overtures in Latin America underpin China's economic activities andhelp it to institutionalize its engagement in the region and garner support in international fora. Some analysts argue that China's activities in the region reflect a global strategy to reduce U.S. dominance, although they do not aimto challenge the United States directly or militarily. China's diplomatic efforts include being an observer at the Organization of American States, a member of the Inter-American Development Bank and the Caribbean Development Bank, and an active participant in the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum. In recent months, China has offered medical assistance to Latin American countries battling Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), although the effects ofsuch mask diplomacy on regional public opinion about China reportedly havebeen mixed. PRC PresidentXiJinping participated in a January 2015 forum in Beijing with leaders and foreign ministers of the Conimunity of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), a region-wide organization that excludes the United States and Canada. At the forum, China and CELAC countries agreed to a five-year cooperation plan covering politics, security, trade, investment, finance, infrastructure, energy, resources, industry, agriculture, science, and people-to-people exchanges. At a second China-CELAC ministerial held in January 2018, both sides agreed to an updated cooperation plan extending through 2021. China also invited Latin American countries to participate in its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which is focusedon infrastructure developmentin various regions around the world. Currently at least 19 Latin American and Caribbean countries are participating in the BRI. A 2016 PRC government policy paper on Latin America and the Caribbean stated that China seeks to strengthen cooperation on the basis ofequality andmutual benefit in several key areas, including exchanges and dialogues, trade and investment, agriculture, energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, and technological innovation. The paper states that China will actively carry outmilitary exchanges and cooperation with Latin American and Caribbean countriesbut also emphasizes thatChina does nottarget or exclude any third party. Another apparentgoal of Beijing in the region is to isolate Taiwan by attempting to lure away Latin American and Caribbean countries that s till maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan, also known as the Republic ofChina. Currently, 9 countries in the region (out of 14 countries worldwide) recognize Taiwan, and the remaining 24 countries in the regionrecognize the PRC. In 2017 and 2018, Panama, the Dominican Republic, and El Salvador switched recognition to China. China's economic goals in the region include securing access to raw materials (such as oil and various ores and minerals) and agricultural goods (especially soybeans); establishing new markets forChinese goods, includinghigh value-addedproducts; andpartnering with Latin American firms to access and develop technology. China alsohas s ought to secure investment opportunities in Latin America for its infrastructure firms and to reduce excess capacity in steel, cement, and other related commodities. Total China-Latin America trade increased from$17 billion in 2002 to almost $315 billion in 2019. In 2015, PRC President Xi set a goal ofincreasing total China-Latin America trade to $500 billion in 10 years. China's imports from Latin America and the Caribbean amounted to almo st $165 billion in 2019, accountingfor almost 7.9% of China's overall imports; China's exports tothe region in 2018 amounted to $151 billion, accounting for 6% of China's total exports. China has become the top trading partner of Brazil, Chile, Peru, and Uruguay and the second- largest trading partner for many other countries. Major Chinese imports fromthe region in 2019 were primarily naturalresources, including ores (32%), mineralfuels (19%), soybeans (16.7%), and copper (5.6%). Major PRC exports to the region in 2019 included electrical machinery and equipment (21%); machinery andmechanical appliances (15%); motor vehicles andparts (6.5%); and a wide array of industrial and consumer products. In the aftermath ofU.S. withdrawal from the proposed Trans -Pacific Partnership (TPP) free-trade agreement (FFA) in January 2017, the remaining 11 TPP signatories (including Chile, Mexico, and Peru) concluded their own trade agreement without the United States. China currently has FTAs with Chile (which was upgraded in 2019), Costa A A '2 k y\

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