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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.
Containers sit at the Balboa terminal, formerly run by CK Hutchison’s Panama Ports, after the Panama government ordered the occupation of the port following a court ruling that the concession was unconstitutional. Photo: AP
Panama

Panama rejects US pressure claims as it seeks to ease China tensions

Panamanian president looks to defuse issues with Beijing as South American country attempts to renew key China maritime agreement.

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Cuba

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

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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

This week: China and the US trade barbs over Cuba, Putin fails to get gas pipeline deal at Xi summit, and retail sales growth hits three-year low. Next week: Xi may travel to North Korea, defence officials gather for Shangri-La Dialogue, new airport terminal and more.

Former Cuban president Raul Castro at a 2025 May Day rally in Havana. Photo: Reuters
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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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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Former Cuban president Raul Castro attends a May Day rally in Havana, Cuba, on May 1. Photo: Reuters
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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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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People shop for beef at a supermarket in Fuzhou, Fujian province. China has renewed import licences for hundreds of US beef plants. Photo: China News Service/VCG via Getty Images
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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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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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced sanctions on Thursday against Moa Nickel SA, a joint venture between Sherritt International and Cuba’s state-owned General Nickel Company. Photo: Xinhua
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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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 April 2026.

People walk past a mural with the Cuban flag in Havana, Cuba, on April 15. Photo: EPA
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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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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Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez (right) and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva attend the Spain-Brazil Summit in Barcelona on Friday. Photo: EPA
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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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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BYD vehicles in the production line at the company’s electric vehicle factory at the Industrial Complex in Camaçari, Bahia, Brazil, on February 3, 2026. Photo: Reuters
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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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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