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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.
A view of Havana as tensions between Cuba and the United States continue to escalate. Photo: AP
Cuba

As US pressures Cuba, Beijing holds talks with Havana on agriculture

Chinese support includes rice shipments and diplomatic backing as Trump administration ramps up sanctions and rhetoric.

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Austria

Panama encourages dialogue at UN as canal tensions with China simmer

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Cuba

Cuba clash, Putin visits Beijing, Xi may go to North Korea

Florida

US casts Cuba as China-linked security threat while still pushing for talks

Washington portrays Havana as a national security risk tied to Beijing and Moscow while insisting diplomacy remains possible.

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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to the media before boarding his plane at Homestead Air Base in Miami on Thursday. Photo: AP
United States

China slams US over Castro charges and ‘unauthorised’ sanctions on Cuba

Beijing says it supports ‘Cuba in safeguarding its national sovereignty and national dignity’ after charges over downed planes.

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Venezuela

US charges Raul Castro as Trump administration ratchets up pressure on Cuba

Historic murder charges against 94-year-old former leader mark the first time Washington has criminally pursued a Castro brother.

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Russia

US plans to charge Raul Castro increases Trump administration’s pressure on Cuba

US Justice Department preparing to indict ageing Cuban leader on Wednesday over the shooting down of two aircraft three decades ago.

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Former Cuban president Raul Castro attends a May Day rally in Havana, Cuba, on May 1. Photo: Reuters
Argentina

How a US$5 billion Chinese lifeline to Argentina shrank to almost nothing

Central bank records show the swap balance fell to US$675 million as Washington pressed Buenos Aires to wind it down.

Brazil

China restores US beef trade amid Trump-Xi summit, alarming Brazilian exporters

Beijing’s renewal of import licences for US beef plants comes as Brazil nears its annual quota cap and scrambles for alternative markets.

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Paraguay

Beijing calls Paraguay leaders willing ‘chess pieces’ after disputed Taiwan trip

Beijing’s anger over President Santiago Pena’s Taipei trade visit comes as Taiwan issue looms large at this week’s Trump-Xi summit.

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Paraguayan President Santiago Pena and Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te meet in Taipei on May 8. Photo: Kyodo
Diplomacy

Opinion | Latin America is reassessing the benefits of warm ties with Beijing

From Honduras to Cuba and Venezuela, leaders are taking a more transactional view of what relations with Beijing really bring.

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Honduran President Nasry Asfura, seen during general elections in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, on November 30, has ordered a review of deals with Beijing after Tegucigalpa cut ties with Taipei. Photo: AP
India

Lula won’t sideline China on rare earths, tells Trump refining stays in Brazil

In a three-hour White House meeting on Thursday, Brazil’s president pitched his country’s minerals to all comers.

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Japan

US targets Cuba nickel operation in move affecting China-linked supply chains

Marco Rubio revealed sanctions on Thursday, escalating Trump administration’s pressure campaign against Havana’s military-controlled economy.

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Argentina

China pours US$6.1b into Brazil, making it Beijing’s top global investment

Chinese miners, carmakers and tech firms are fanned out across 20 states, putting a dent in Washington’s own push throughout the region.

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A BYD vehicle is seen on the production line at the Chinese company’s new electric-vehicle factory in Brazil in October 2025. Photo: Reuters
Panama

Panama minister slams China ship crackdown, tells deputies in Beijing: push back

Foreign minister says court ruling must not be used as leverage against Panama’s merchant fleet as ship detentions mount.

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A Panamanian-flagged vessel transits the Panama Canal in March; dozens of such ships have faced heightened inspections in Chinese ports amid rising tensions. Photo: Reuters
Mexico

China consul in Tijuana warns against protectionism as USMCA review nears

Fu Xinrong pitched Beijing’s model of shared modernisation to Mexican business leaders, weeks before a contentious USMCA review.

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Mainland China

Beijing backs Cuba, Chile reveals smuggling ring: Latin America relations reads

From a smuggling ring in Chile to rare earth wrangling in Brazil, here are highlights from the SCMP’s foreign correspondents in March 2026.

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Mainland China

Senate vote leaves Cuba’s uncertain future at dangerous crossroads

US Democrats failed on Tuesday in another attempt to limit Donald Trump’s authority to use military force against Cuba, so what’s next?

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Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel has repeatedly ruled out political concessions to the US, insisting sovereignty and the country’s system of governance are non-negotiable. Photo: EPA
US-China relations

UN bloated, costly, but China fears to keep US involved, House committee told

Pulling out of international organisation would see Beijing expand its influence and leave Washington at major disadvantage, lawmakers say.

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Spain

Spain signs deals with Brazil as Sanchez builds anti-Trump bloc

The Spanish leader is hosting heads of state and government in a bid to counter the US president and revive the political left.

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Peru

US will help Peru ‘take back’ Chancay port from China, Congress chair says

Maria Elvira Salazar warns port’s ‘dual usage’ potential could enable Chinese submarines, carriers and warships to operate from Peru.

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Boats in the water, in front of cranes at the Chinese-built Chancay megaport operated by Cosco Shipping, in Chancay, Peru. Photo: Reuters
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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Serra Verde is Brazil’s only operating rare earth mine. Photo: Handout
China’s private sector

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

Chinese brands like Mixue, BYD, and Geely are surging into Brazil, leveraging strong trade ties and local strategies for growth.

Brazil

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

Union said sacking is part of pattern of political meddling in slavery cases.

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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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Cuba faces a deepening crisis marked by widespread power outages, acute fuel shortages and growing economic strain, as external pressure and limited supplies weigh on daily life. Photo: EPA
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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