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1 [1] (November 5, 2020)

handle is hein.crs/govdcll0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Updated November 5,2020 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 the region has grown significantly since 2001, particularly in terms of diplomatic and economic ties. This growthreflects China's globalsoft power efforts and influence operations worldwide. A succession of Chinese leaders and other officials have visited the region to court governments. In turn, regional leaders and officials have been frequent visitors to China. The PRC has signed a variety of bilateral partnership agreements with several countries in the region, including strategic partnerships with Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. Dilma cy 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 aparticipantin the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum. Amid the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic,China has provided medical aid to countries throughout the region and has offered loans to help pay for the purchase and distribution of vaccines once developed. PRC Pres identXi Jinping p articipated in a January 2015 summit in Beijing with leaders and foreign ministers of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), a region-wide organization that excludes the United States and Canada. At the meeting, China and CELAC countries agreed to a five-year cooperationplan 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 cooperationplan extending through 2021. China also invited Latin American countries to participate in its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which is focused on PRC-backed infrastructure development around the world. Currently at least 19 Latin American and Caribbean countries are participating in the BRI. In 2016, the PRC government released its second policy paper on Latin America and the Caribbean. The document states that China seeks to strengthen cooperation on the basis ofequality and mutualbenefit in severalkey 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 countries in the region but als o emphasizes that China does not target or exclude any third party. Another apparent goal 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 region recognize the PRC. In 2017 and 2018, Panama, the Dominican Republic, and El Salvador switched recognition to the PRC. China's economic goals in the region include securing acces s to raw materials (such as oil and various ores and minerals) and agricultural goods (especially soybeans); establishing new markets for Chinese goods, includinghigh value-added products; andpartnering with Latin American firms to access and develop technology. China alsohas sought to secure investment opportunities in Latin America for its infrastructure firms and to reduce excess capacity in steel, cement, and otherrelated commodities. Just as Latin America's economic linkages with China helped the region withstand the 2008 global financial crisis, China's post-COVID-19 economic rebound could play an important role in Latin America's post-pandemic recovery. 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 of increasing total China-Latin America trade to $500 billion in 10 years. China's imports from Latin America and the Caribbean amounted to almost $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. Chinese imports from the region in 2019 were primarily natural resources, including ores (32%), mineral fuels (19%), soybeans (16.7%), and copper (5.6%). Major PRC exports to the region in 2019 included electrical machinery and equipment (21%); machinery and mechanical appliances (15%); motor vehicles and parts (6.5%); and a wide array of indus trial and consumer products. China currently has free trade agreements with Chile, Costa Rica, and Peru. \ Q

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