https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/rss/523647/feed News, features and updates on Beijing's relations with various Latin American nations, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, Paraguay, Peru, Venezuela and more. en https://assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg Igor Patrick Igor Patrick China on Wednesday condemned an arrest warrant issued in the US state of Florida for former Cuban president Raul Castro over the 1996 downing of two civilian planes, accusing the United States of using the courts to pressure Havana. Foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning was asked about the warrant by the state-run Global Times at a regular briefing in Beijing. She referred to the 95-year-old as “comrade Raul Castro”, a “venerated” leader held in high international esteem. Mao said China opposed... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3371697/comrade-raul-beijing-defends-cubas-ex-leader-over-florida-murder-warrant https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3371697/comrade-raul-beijing-defends-cubas-ex-leader-over-florida-murder-warrant Wed, 21 Oct 2026 23:02:27 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick Dozens of Air China passengers stranded in Cuba by successive cancellations were due to fly out on an extra flight on Monday, as a US oil embargo deepens the island’s energy crisis. The disruption has hit one of Cuba’s last direct air links to Europe, the Chinese carrier’s twice-weekly route between Beijing and Havana via Madrid. Air China added flight CA590 for travellers whose regular CA866 service was cancelled before October 10, the Chinese embassy said in a notice on Sunday. The flight was... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/article/3371426/chinas-flag-carrier-scrambles-fly-stranded-passengers-out-fuel-starved-cuba https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/article/3371426/chinas-flag-carrier-scrambles-fly-stranded-passengers-out-fuel-starved-cuba Mon, 19 Oct 2026 19:44:08 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick Honduran migration officials have summoned or placed under review 41 Chinese nationals after inspecting shops in the capital and a hospital being built by a state-owned contractor from China in the south of the country. Teams from the National Migration Institute, working with police and intelligence officers, interviewed 86 Chinese citizens at 54 shops in Comayaguela, Tegucigalpa’s twin city and main commercial district, and told 25 of them to report for further document checks. Migration... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3371425/honduras-targets-chinese-shops-and-state-builder-president-sits-taiwan-pledge https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3371425/honduras-targets-chinese-shops-and-state-builder-president-sits-taiwan-pledge Mon, 19 Oct 2026 19:43:05 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick Paraguay’s technology minister said on Thursday that sanctions imposed on him by Beijing over his country’s ties with Taiwan would only accelerate joint projects with the island. Gustavo Villate, who heads the Ministry of Information and Communication Technologies, wrote in a lengthy social media post that the relationship with Taipei would “never be on the negotiating table”. He also suggested that Beijing had acted to protect Chinese telecoms suppliers kept out of Paraguay’s networks. “This... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/article/3371214/paraguays-tech-minister-defies-beijing-sanctions-says-taiwan-ties-not-negotiation https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/article/3371214/paraguays-tech-minister-defies-beijing-sanctions-says-taiwan-ties-not-negotiation Fri, 16 Oct 2026 21:43:02 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick Trade between Brazil and China reached a record US$143 billion in the first nine months of the year, driven by Brazilian oil sales that surged after the war on Iran disrupted Gulf supply, according to a report by the Brazil-China Business Council. Brazilian exports to China rose 12 per cent to US$84.7 billion between January and September, while imports from China grew 9.9 per cent to US$58.6 billion, the council said in its quarterly analysis of government data. The resulting US$26.1 billion... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/article/3371064/china-bought-half-brazils-oil-exports-iran-war-shut-hormuz-driving-sales-record https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/article/3371064/china-bought-half-brazils-oil-exports-iran-war-shut-hormuz-driving-sales-record Thu, 15 Oct 2026 18:23:44 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick A planned US$844 million port in southern Peru has drawn interest from several foreign investors, including Chinese companies, a regional governor said on Monday, as the government began promoting the project abroad. “Several companies have approached us. We have investors from the US, China and India who are very interested,” Rohel Sanchez, the governor of Arequipa, told reporters after signing an agreement with the state investment agency Proinversion. He said firms from Turkey and the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/article/3370786/peru-governor-touts-chinese-interest-deep-water-port-pitched-chancay-alternative https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/article/3370786/peru-governor-touts-chinese-interest-deep-water-port-pitched-chancay-alternative Tue, 13 Oct 2026 20:10:35 +0000 Carol Yang Carol Yang Beijing on Monday sanctioned Paraguayan and Belizean government ministers over the Taiwan issue, after the two nations sealed deals with Taipei in recent months. Gustavo Villate, Paraguay’s minister of information and communication technologies, and Francis Fonseca, Belize’s minister of foreign affairs, foreign trade, education, culture, science and technology, were placed under sanctions from Monday, the foreign ministry said. The measures include freezing their assets within China, prohibiting... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3370553/beijing-sanctions-paraguayan-and-belizean-ministers-over-support-taiwan https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3370553/beijing-sanctions-paraguayan-and-belizean-ministers-over-support-taiwan Mon, 12 Oct 2026 06:21:53 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Flavio Bolsonaro said he would work with the US and China if he becomes Brazil’s president, after a surprise election performance left him poised to join a wave of conservative leaders pushing Latin America closer to Washington. “I’m not going to pick sides,” Bolsonaro said at an event in Brasilia on Thursday. “My side will be the Brazilian people, whether we’re dealing with China, Israel, the Middle East, Argentina or India. It doesn’t matter. That’s how I’m going to govern.” Bolsonaro finished... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/americas/article/3370246/flavio-bolsonaro-says-he-would-work-china-and-us-brazils-president https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/americas/article/3370246/flavio-bolsonaro-says-he-would-work-china-and-us-brazils-president Thu, 08 Oct 2026 23:37:31 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick BYD is studying whether to manufacture lithium batteries in Argentina, Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno said on Thursday after meeting Stella Li, the Chinese electric vehicle maker’s executive vice-president. According to Quirno, the company was looking at “investment opportunities in Argentina linked to the lithium value chain, particularly in the production of batteries and energy storage systems”. He did not say how much BYD might spend or where the factory could go. The minister tied the talks... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3370236/chinas-byd-considering-lithium-battery-plant-argentina-foreign-minister-says https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3370236/chinas-byd-considering-lithium-battery-plant-argentina-foreign-minister-says Thu, 08 Oct 2026 17:52:55 +0000 Ralph Jennings Ralph Jennings Chinese contractors will build Latin America’s longest cable-stayed bridge, a trans-bay span in Brazil, as their latest stamp on new infrastructure overseas. A consortium of Chinese companies is set to construct much of the Salvador-Itaparica Bridge, which is due to become the region’s biggest cross-sea project supported by cables once completed in 2031, Chinese and Brazilian media said. They would contribute to a 46.8km (29-mile) project including 12.4km crossing the Bay of All Saints along the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/global-economy/article/3369850/chinese-consortium-build-latin-americas-longest-cable-stayed-bridge-brazil https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/global-economy/article/3369850/chinese-consortium-build-latin-americas-longest-cable-stayed-bridge-brazil Wed, 07 Oct 2026 12:00:08 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick Bogota mayor Carlos Fernando Galan has called on the Chinese-led consortium building the city’s first metro line to send more workers to its stations, after the country’s top auditor warned that delays in several parts of the project could push back its opening in March 2028. “We are entering a critical stage, which is the final stretch,” Galan said in an interview published by local news magazine Semana on Monday. “We have to ask Metro Linea 1 to get moving and put more staff in the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/article/3369839/bogota-mayor-presses-chinese-led-consortium-more-metro-workers-auditors-flag-delays https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/article/3369839/bogota-mayor-presses-chinese-led-consortium-more-metro-workers-auditors-flag-delays Mon, 05 Oct 2026 20:40:37 +0000 Brian Rhoads,Raymond Ma Brian Rhoads,Raymond Ma Brazil is set for a presidential run-off after right-wing challenger Flavio Bolsonaro won a surprise first-round victory, threatening Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s grip on power in South America’s largest economy. Bolsonaro, son of imprisoned former president Jair Bolsonaro, took 47 per cent of the ballots in Sunday’s election, beating out Lula on 45 per cent. Brazilians will vote again on October 25 as neither candidate got the 50 per cent share needed to claim outright victory. US-China... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/plus/news/china/diplomacy/article/3369805/brazil-china-ties-focus-bolsonaro-gets-election-edge-over-lula https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/plus/news/china/diplomacy/article/3369805/brazil-china-ties-focus-bolsonaro-gets-election-edge-over-lula Mon, 05 Oct 2026 09:46:21 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva named China as a possible partner in his critical minerals plans, three days before Sunday’s closely fought election. Lula told Flow, one of the country’s most-watched podcasts, on Thursday evening that Brazil should stop shipping out raw ore. “We want to transform them here in Brazil,” he said of the minerals. Asked whether China fit into his plans, Lula said it could be a partner “bringing technology to us”, as could the United States. “[Donald]... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3369636/brazils-lula-hails-bold-chinese-investors-rival-pitches-rare-earths-trump https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3369636/brazils-lula-hails-bold-chinese-investors-rival-pitches-rare-earths-trump Fri, 02 Oct 2026 21:04:21 +0000 Teresa Elena Frontado,Igor Patrick Teresa Elena Frontado,Igor Patrick Panama’s comptroller general said on Friday that his office would send prosecutors more audit material on former executives of CK Hutchison’s local subsidiary next week, as part of a criminal investigation into the Hong Kong conglomerate’s annulled Panama Canal ports concession. Speaking at the Atlantic Council in Washington, Anel Flores said prosecutors had requested documents concerning Panama Ports Company (PPC), the operator of the Balboa and Cristobal terminals at either end of the canal... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3369635/panama-auditor-targets-ex-port-regulators-and-hong-kong-firms-executives-canal-probe https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3369635/panama-auditor-targets-ex-port-regulators-and-hong-kong-firms-executives-canal-probe Fri, 02 Oct 2026 19:10:10 +0000 SCMP SCMP We have selected seven of the most interesting and important news stories covering Latin American relations from the past few weeks. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. China pledges to ‘firmly support’ Cuba as US escalates pressure on Havana China will stand by Cuba in defending its sovereignty and resisting outside interference, foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said as Washington stepped up its campaign to force political change in Havana. Read... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3369252/china-backs-cuba-beijings-panama-threat-new-un-chief-7-latin-america-relations-reads https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3369252/china-backs-cuba-beijings-panama-threat-new-un-chief-7-latin-america-relations-reads Thu, 01 Oct 2026 14:00:14 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick China will charge an extra 55 per cent tariff on Brazilian beef from Thursday after Brazil filled its import quota for the year and has not agreed to let Brazilian exporters use the unfilled quota of neighbouring Uruguay, industry sources said. The Chinese Ministry of Commerce announced the surtax on Wednesday, a day after China’s customs administration confirmed that Brazil had used all of its 1.106 million-tonne allowance for 2026, and under the rules the extra tariff applies from the third... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3369390/china-slaps-55-cent-tariff-brazilian-beef-rebuffs-bid-borrow-uruguays-quota https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3369390/china-slaps-55-cent-tariff-brazilian-beef-rebuffs-bid-borrow-uruguays-quota Wed, 30 Sep 2026 18:07:56 +0000 Nayan Seth Nayan Seth US soybean farmers have described the exclusion of US soybeans from China’s import list under the newly announced Board of Trade mechanism as a “missed opportunity”, even as Beijing ramped up purchases of the crop ahead of last week’s summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump. The trade forum, unveiled by both sides on Sunday, covered a range of US agricultural products for export to China, including meat, dairy, corn, wheat, sorghum and vegetable oils, but... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/diplomacy/article/3369119/missed-opportunity-us-soybean-farmers-question-exclusion-china-tariff-cuts https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/diplomacy/article/3369119/missed-opportunity-us-soybean-farmers-question-exclusion-china-tariff-cuts Mon, 28 Sep 2026 22:48:25 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick China will stand by Cuba in defending its sovereignty and resisting outside interference, foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on Monday as Washington stepped up its campaign to force political change in Havana. Guo made the remarks at a regular press briefing in Beijing on the 66th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. “No matter how the international landscape evolves, China will firmly support Cuba in exploring the socialist development path suited to its... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/article/3369116/china-pledges-firmly-support-cuba-us-escalates-pressure-havana https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/article/3369116/china-pledges-firmly-support-cuba-us-escalates-pressure-havana Mon, 28 Sep 2026 21:21:54 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick The Brics-founded New Development Bank could help launch a fund by the end of the year to guarantee cheap loans for poor families in Africa and Latin America, Brazil’s social development minister said. The scheme would be the Shanghai-based lender’s first financial commitment to Brazil’s global anti-hunger alliance, an initiative sidelined by Washington’s presidency of the G20 this year. Wellington Dias told the South China Morning Post on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3368865/china-based-brics-bank-set-lead-role-hunger-alliance-year-brazil-says https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3368865/china-based-brics-bank-set-lead-role-hunger-alliance-year-brazil-says Sat, 26 Sep 2026 14:00:06 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick China is poised to decide which of two Latin American women becomes the first to lead the United Nations, after three rounds of informal voting in the Security Council failed to produce a favourite. Several UN delegations that spoke to the South China Morning Post over the past three days said Beijing was weighing Rebeca Grynspan, the Costa Rican economist who heads UN Trade and Development, and Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Guyana’s ambassador to the UN. The same delegations said China had ruled... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/article/3368869/china-set-decide-if-costa-rican-or-guyanese-diplomat-becomes-first-woman-un-chief https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/article/3368869/china-set-decide-if-costa-rican-or-guyanese-diplomat-becomes-first-woman-un-chief Fri, 25 Sep 2026 17:09:32 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick Paraguayan President Santiago Pena told the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday that his country “is not neutral” on the Taiwan Strait, pledging support for the self-ruled island and calling for its “full and meaningful participation” in the UN system. Casting a conflict in the strait as a potentially far greater threat than the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, Pena warned of “ominous clouds gathering over the Indo-Pacific” and of a conflict that would hit Japan, the rest of East and... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3368561/paraguays-president-urges-un-let-taiwan-calls-islands-exclusion-stain https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3368561/paraguays-president-urges-un-let-taiwan-calls-islands-exclusion-stain Wed, 23 Sep 2026 19:01:59 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva renewed his backing on Tuesday for a peace initiative he launched with China to end the war in Ukraine, using his opening speech at the UN General Assembly to take thinly veiled aim at the United States over tariffs, military pressure and access to critical minerals. Speaking in New York just days before Brazilians vote in a tight presidential race, Lula described the war between Russia and Ukraine as a five-year humanitarian drama that “continues to... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/article/3368437/brazils-lula-backs-china-peace-push-un-tells-us-his-nation-no-ones-backyard https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/article/3368437/brazils-lula-backs-china-peace-push-un-tells-us-his-nation-no-ones-backyard Tue, 22 Sep 2026 17:54:35 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick US Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer asked Brazil to review the sale of Anglo American’s nickel mines to a Chinese state-controlled miner in exchange for tariff relief, two people familiar with the negotiations told the South China Morning Post. Washington made the request during talks to lift the 50 per cent tariffs US President Donald Trump imposed on Brazilian goods last year. First reported by Brazilian newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo and CNN Brazil on Thursday, the proposal would... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3367913/us-trade-chief-pressed-brazil-review-anglo-american-nickel-sale-china https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3367913/us-trade-chief-pressed-brazil-review-anglo-american-nickel-sale-china Thu, 17 Sep 2026 21:11:34 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick China has warned Panama of “serious consequences” after most of the country’s lawmakers set up a parliamentary exchange group with Taiwan, defying pressure from Beijing’s embassy and a public disavowal by their own president. The warning came from foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun, who said on Monday that the group seriously violated the one-China principle upheld by Panama and urged what he called “those few politicians” to “see the real picture”. Beijing had noted the Panamanian... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3367514/beijing-threatens-serious-consequences-after-panama-lawmakers-support-taiwan https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3367514/beijing-threatens-serious-consequences-after-panama-lawmakers-support-taiwan Mon, 14 Sep 2026 21:36:24 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick A campaign document belonging to Flavio Bolsonaro, the right-wing front-runner in the presidential election to be held in Brazil next month, offered Washington a rare earths supply chain designed to weaken China’s grip, local news site Amado Mundo reported on Saturday. Written in English and dated March 19, the 22-page presentation was drafted by Andre Marinho, a close Bolsonaro ally who presented the plan to the Rockbridge Network, a group of wealthy conservative donors founded by J.D. Vance in... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3367328/jd-vance-network-courted-brazils-flavio-bolsonaro-over-anti-china-mineral-deal-report https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3367328/jd-vance-network-courted-brazils-flavio-bolsonaro-over-anti-china-mineral-deal-report Sat, 12 Sep 2026 22:55:23 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held talks in Peru on Thursday on countering Beijing’s growing footprint around the strategic Chancay megaport, drawing a sharp response from China’s embassy in Lima, which defended its investments and took aim at Washington’s strict visa rules. Rubio met President Keiko Fujimori at the Government Palace, where she confirmed Peru would join the Shield of the Americas, a US-led coalition against organised crime. The Peruvian capital was the last stop of a... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/article/3367108/china-rebuts-top-us-diplomat-marco-rubio-over-communist-party-backed-projects-peru https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/article/3367108/china-rebuts-top-us-diplomat-marco-rubio-over-communist-party-backed-projects-peru Thu, 10 Sep 2026 21:40:04 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick Brazil on Wednesday eliminated its federal import tax on small overseas parcels, moving in the opposite direction from US and European Union efforts to close a loophole that saw such Chinese retail giants as Shein and Temu expand rapidly. The elimination will hurt the country’s tax base, but the levy on lower value shirts, electronics, toys and kitchen gadgets ultimately proved too unpopular among Brazilians ahead of the October 4 presidential election, forcing Brasilia to back down. In an... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/article/3366975/brazil-scraps-tax-small-parcels-chinese-platforms-lose-us-and-eu-access https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/article/3366975/brazil-scraps-tax-small-parcels-chinese-platforms-lose-us-and-eu-access Wed, 09 Sep 2026 21:26:38 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick Nicaragua has granted a Chinese-owned company linked to one sanctioned by Washington the right to prospect and dig for gold across 262 sq km (101 sq miles) of rainforest, about a quarter the size of Hong Kong. The 25-year concession over the block, named Jade, went to Linze Excelente Mineria, a company that appeared in Nicaragua’s mining registry only last year. The block is in a corner of the country where prospectors first struck gold in 1880. Corporate filings list Lijun Dong as legal... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/article/3366836/nicaragua-hands-gold-concession-sister-firm-us-sanctioned-chinese-miner https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/article/3366836/nicaragua-hands-gold-concession-sister-firm-us-sanctioned-chinese-miner Tue, 08 Sep 2026 21:40:31 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Colombia on Tuesday to meet President Abelardo de la Espriella, sign agreements on critical minerals and civil nuclear cooperation and take up the country’s ties to China, in the first visit by a cabinet-level US official since the Colombian leader took office a month ago. Colombia’s participation in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and Chinese investment in critical infrastructure were on the agenda for the meeting, a Colombian official... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3366833/us-secretary-state-rubio-arrives-colombia-clarify-china-ties-sign-minerals-deal https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3366833/us-secretary-state-rubio-arrives-colombia-clarify-china-ties-sign-minerals-deal Tue, 08 Sep 2026 19:53:40 +0000 Carol Yang Carol Yang Relations between China and Mexico should not be influenced by outside powers, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Monday, following reports that the United States was pressuring its neighbour over its ties to Beijing. “China-Mexico relations are not directed at any third party, nor should they be influenced by any third party,” Wang told his Mexican counterpart Roberto Velasco Alvarez. He added that China supported Mexico in maintaining its independence, safeguarding its sovereignty and security... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3366663/china-warns-against-third-party-interference-after-reports-us-pressure-mexico https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3366663/china-warns-against-third-party-interference-after-reports-us-pressure-mexico Mon, 07 Sep 2026 12:30:14 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo When China’s trade with Latin America reached a record US$518.4 billion in 2024, it marked a fundamental shift in hemispheric economics. Beijing is now the largest bilateral creditor and second largest trading partner of Latin America and the Caribbean, with President Xi Jinping pledging a new credit line of 66 billion yuan (US$9.2 billion) at the 2025 China-Celac (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) forum. Chinese investment has evolved from extractive industries towards clean... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/world-opinion/article/3366092/us-dangerous-reversion-imperialism-latin-america https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/world-opinion/article/3366092/us-dangerous-reversion-imperialism-latin-america Fri, 04 Sep 2026 12:30:10 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick Former Ecuadorian president Lenin Moreno and a former Chinese ambassador to Quito asked the country’s highest court on Thursday to spare them the five-year sentences handed down last week over a US$76 million bribery scheme. Moreno was convicted of bribery by a three-judge panel of the National Court of Justice over contracts for Ecuador’s largest hydroelectric project secured by a Chinese state contractor. The judges found unanimously that he had used his position as vice-president, held from... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/article/3366283/ecuadors-ex-president-and-chinese-ambassador-seek-avoid-jail-over-belt-and-road-dam https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/article/3366283/ecuadors-ex-president-and-chinese-ambassador-seek-avoid-jail-over-belt-and-road-dam Thu, 03 Sep 2026 21:36:52 +0000 Carol Yang Carol Yang Mexican Foreign Affairs Secretary Roberto Velasco arrives in China on Sunday for his first official visit as his country navigates increasing US pressure to roll back Chinese trade ties. The two-day visit will take place at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said in Beijing on Thursday. He said China expected the visit to be an opportunity to deepen mutual political trust and cooperation, and “promote the steady growth” of ties to better benefit... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3366265/mexican-foreign-minister-meet-wang-yi-china-us-demands-trade-ties-rollback https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3366265/mexican-foreign-minister-meet-wang-yi-china-us-demands-trade-ties-rollback Thu, 03 Sep 2026 12:01:03 +0000 Xinyi Wu Xinyi Wu A US-backed company’s takeover of Venezuelan oilfields, some of which were previously managed by Chinese firms, has dealt a blow to Beijing’s oil-backed loans and yuan trade networks, analysts say. Through North American Blue Energy Partners (NABEP), a private company, the White House said the US had secured access to oilfields with 65 billion barrels of proven reserves in Venezuela – around one-fifth of the Latin American country’s total supply – including sites previously operated by Chinese... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/china-economy/article/3366119/direct-hit-china-dealt-blow-us-backed-firm-takes-over-venezuelan-oilfields https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/china-economy/article/3366119/direct-hit-china-dealt-blow-us-backed-firm-takes-over-venezuelan-oilfields Wed, 02 Sep 2026 14:00:07 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick A Chilean court on Monday fined a Chinese man caught with cocaine inside a Santiago prison, where he is being held on charges of homicide, kidnapping and drug trafficking. It was the second such ruling in five involving a Chinese inmate in five months, with prosecutors linking the two men to the same criminal network. Officers had searched Haifeng Tang at Santiago Uno prison on August 12, a day before his move to La Laguna, the maximum-security jail at the centre of President Jose Antonio Kast’s... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3365899/chile-fines-chinese-mafia-inmate-after-cocaine-found-maximum-security-prison https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3365899/chile-fines-chinese-mafia-inmate-after-cocaine-found-maximum-security-prison Mon, 31 Aug 2026 20:41:04 +0000 SCMP SCMP We have selected seven of the most interesting and important news stories covering Latin American relations from the past few weeks. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Chinese executive filmed taking cash on Colombia metro project Colombian prosecutors are investigating allegations that executives of a Chinese state-owned contractor building the Bogota metro demanded cash from a local subcontractor in exchange for releasing payments owed for work on... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3365666/brazils-china-borrowing-trump-accuses-9-latam-countries-7-latin-america-relations-reads https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3365666/brazils-china-borrowing-trump-accuses-9-latam-countries-7-latin-america-relations-reads Mon, 31 Aug 2026 14:00:13 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick Brazil will not be able to make rare earth magnets from its own raw materials before 2032, the coordinator of the country’s main magnet pilot plant said on Wednesday, leaving China’s near monopoly on the technology intact for years to come. Andre Luis Pimenta de Faria, who runs the plant for Senai, the research and training arm of Brazil’s national industry confederation, told a public policy panel at Exposibram, the country’s largest mining congress, that first batches could come by the end of... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/article/3365504/brazils-rare-earths-will-not-loosen-chinas-magnet-grip-decade-researchers-say https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/article/3365504/brazils-rare-earths-will-not-loosen-chinas-magnet-grip-decade-researchers-say Thu, 27 Aug 2026 16:55:06 +0000 Ann Cao Ann Cao Alibaba Group Holding has launched its first data centres in South America, as the Chinese technology giant ramps up its artificial intelligence infrastructure buildout in emerging markets amid an intensifying US-China AI rivalry. The Hangzhou-based company announced on Thursday that its new Brazilian venture would operate two data centres offering local enterprises secure cloud infrastructure and a suite of “agentic AI services”. “Brazil is one of the world’s most dynamic digital economies and... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3365491/alibaba-pushes-south-americas-ai-market-launch-brazil-data-centres https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3365491/alibaba-pushes-south-americas-ai-market-launch-brazil-data-centres Thu, 27 Aug 2026 13:00:20 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick Brazil has not answered two American proposals to formalise cooperation on critical minerals, a senior US diplomat said at Latin America’s largest mining fair, leaving Washington without a bilateral deal as it races to build rare earth supply chains outside China. Matthew Lowe, economic counsellor at the US embassy in Brasilia, said Washington invited Brazil years ago to join the Minerals Security Partnership, a US-led grouping that coordinates investment in mineral supply chains, but never... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/article/3365371/us-critical-minerals-proposals-brazil-go-unanswered-china-looms https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/article/3365371/us-critical-minerals-proposals-brazil-go-unanswered-china-looms Wed, 26 Aug 2026 16:44:57 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick Brazil’s data protection authority fined ByteDance US$30 million on Tuesday over its handling of children’s data on TikTok, the largest penalty it has imposed since it was created in 2020. The National Data Protection Authority, known as the ANPD, found five breaches of Brazil’s data protection law and gave ByteDance 10 working days to appeal. The company must also erase the records of users aged 13 to 18 whose parental authorisation is not regularised within 60 working days, instruct every... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/article/3365246/brazil-fines-tiktok-record-us30-million-profiting-childrens-data https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/article/3365246/brazil-fines-tiktok-record-us30-million-profiting-childrens-data Tue, 25 Aug 2026 16:26:05 +0000 Teresa Elena Frontado Teresa Elena Frontado The United States is opening Venezuela’s telecommunications sector to new investment and technology while explicitly excluding Chinese companies, a move that could reshape a market where Huawei and ZTE have become deeply embedded and give Western suppliers an opening as the country expands its 5G networks. The US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on Friday issued two general licences easing some sanctions restrictions on Venezuela’s telecommunications sector,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3365115/us-targets-chinas-telecoms-grip-venezuela-new-sanctions-carve-out https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3365115/us-targets-chinas-telecoms-grip-venezuela-new-sanctions-carve-out Mon, 24 Aug 2026 20:23:21 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick Brazil’s presidential candidates opened the televised campaign season on Sunday with a debate that turned repeatedly to the country’s position between Washington and Beijing. The exchange comes in an election cycle already shaped by American tariffs, a visa dispute over election monitoring and the Lula government’s warming ties with China. Ronaldo Caiado, Augusto Cury and Renan Santos took to the debate stage in Sao Paulo but the lecterns reserved for President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Senator... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3365032/brazil-presidential-debate-zeroes-chinese-investment-and-us-tariffs https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3365032/brazil-presidential-debate-zeroes-chinese-investment-and-us-tariffs Mon, 24 Aug 2026 09:00:11 +0000 Carol Yang Carol Yang Chinese archaeologists will carry out their first joint field project in South America by exploring sites dating back thousands of years in Peru as Beijing steps up its efforts to deepen cultural ties with the region. The Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences said it had signed a cooperation agreement with the Caral Archaeological Zone of the Peruvian Ministry of Culture and the Professional School of Archaeology at the National University of San Marcos to explore... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3364961/chinese-archaeologists-heading-peru-first-joint-project-explore-ancient-sites https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3364961/chinese-archaeologists-heading-peru-first-joint-project-explore-ancient-sites Sun, 23 Aug 2026 15:00:07 +0000 Teresa Elena Frontado,Igor Patrick Teresa Elena Frontado,Igor Patrick Peru’s new government has pledged to bring its free-trade agreement with Hong Kong into force this year as part of an effort to position the country as a commercial bridge between South America and the Asia-Pacific, even as its first comprehensive policy programme made no direct mention of mainland China or the Chinese-operated Chancay megaport. Prime Minister Luis Galarreta told lawmakers on Thursday that commercial openness would remain a state policy under Peruvian President Keiko Fujimori’s... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3364737/perus-new-government-pledges-implement-hong-kong-trade-deal-keeps-silent-china https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3364737/perus-new-government-pledges-implement-hong-kong-trade-deal-keeps-silent-china Thu, 20 Aug 2026 21:08:31 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick China rejected a White House report on Thursday that accused its exporters of routing goods through Mexico and other countries to avoid US tariffs, hours after word emerged that Mexico was preparing to restrict Chinese products further. He Yadong, a spokesman for China’s Ministry of Commerce, told a regular press briefing in Beijing that the report “ignored facts and distorted reality by treating normal international trade and investment as fraud”. He called it a “typical exercise in... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/article/3364735/beijing-calls-us-tariff-report-false-narrative-named-hub-mexico-plans-new-china-curbs https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/article/3364735/beijing-calls-us-tariff-report-false-narrative-named-hub-mexico-plans-new-china-curbs Thu, 20 Aug 2026 20:01:48 +0000 Carol Yang Carol Yang China firmly supports Latin American nations in upholding their autonomy and pursuing international cooperation based on their own interests, Chinese President Xi Jinping told his Ecuadorian counterpart Daniel Noboa on Tuesday. “Latin American and Caribbean nations should have freedom to choose their international partners without outside interference,” Xi said, in a veiled criticism of US interventions in the region since Donald Trump returned to the White House in 2025. Like many of its Latin... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3364465/xi-hits-out-outside-interference-latin-america-meeting-ecuadors-president https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3364465/xi-hits-out-outside-interference-latin-america-meeting-ecuadors-president Tue, 18 Aug 2026 13:10:18 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa arrived in Beijing on Sunday for his first state visit to China, an eight-day trip during which he will seek to lift suspensions on 14 Ecuadorian shrimp processors and secure fresh investment in energy and mining. Noboa will hold talks with President Xi Jinping and meet separately with Premier Li Qiang and Zhao Leji, China’s top legislator, according to Beijing’s foreign ministry. The visit runs to August 23 before the Asian tour continues to Singapore and... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3364346/ecuadors-noboa-courts-china-shrimp-copper-without-threatening-us-ties https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3364346/ecuadors-noboa-courts-china-shrimp-copper-without-threatening-us-ties Mon, 17 Aug 2026 20:57:41 +0000 Teresa Elena Frontado Teresa Elena Frontado Venezuelan interim President Delcy Rodriguez’s tribute to Fidel Castro has drawn a blistering rebuke from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, highlighting the political tensions surrounding Caracas’ rapprochement with Washington even as China seeks to preserve its economic interests in the South American country. Rodriguez marked the centenary of the late Cuban leader’s birth this week by praising Castro as a figure who “transcends time” and invoking his commitment to sovereignty, social justice... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3364122/delcy-rodriguezs-castro-tribute-tests-venezuelas-balancing-act-between-us-and-china https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3364122/delcy-rodriguezs-castro-tribute-tests-venezuelas-balancing-act-between-us-and-china Fri, 14 Aug 2026 22:45:52 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick Three Latin American governments that moved against Chinese commercial interests over the past year were named in a White House report on Thursday, which accused Chinese exporters of routing goods through third countries to evade US tariffs. Mexico, Panama and Colombia now join Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic among more than 40 countries the report says carry elevated risk of illegal transshipment, the practice of moving goods through an intermediate country... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3363963/us-accuses-9-latin-american-countries-helping-china-avoid-trumps-tariffs https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3363963/us-accuses-9-latin-american-countries-helping-china-avoid-trumps-tariffs Thu, 13 Aug 2026 23:20:03 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick China said on Wednesday it would help Colombia recover from the magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck the country’s west on Monday, killing more than 200 people. Foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said Beijing would do what it could in suitable ways, in line with what Colombia requested, in response to questions from Xinhua and Telesur at a briefing in Beijing. Guo said no Chinese nationals had been reported killed or injured in the disaster, and that the embassy in Bogota was “working to... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/article/3363834/china-offers-colombia-quake-relief-new-presidents-us-pivot-leaves-beijing-waiting https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/article/3363834/china-offers-colombia-quake-relief-new-presidents-us-pivot-leaves-beijing-waiting Wed, 12 Aug 2026 22:15:12 +0000