Latin America needs to get out of the quagmire; it needs the help it never received during its worst crises. Ordinary people in Latin American and the Caribbean don't want geopolitical disputes. They only seek better education, health and opportunities.

At a Beijing forum this week, China has cast itself as defender of the multilateral order and backer of the Global South, with Xi pledging $9.2 billion in credit toward development.

China and Colombia have signed a joint cooperation plan on the Belt and Road Initiative, state media said on Wednesday after their leaders met in Beijing. Burgeoning commerce in recent years has helped grow Beijing's influence in Latin America and the Caribbean,

Colombia formally agreed on Wednesday to join China's vast Belt and Road infrastructure initiative, as Beijing draws Latin America closer in a bid to counter the US.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets with the foreign ministers and representatives of the Caribbean countries with diplomatic ties with China on May 12, 2025 in Beijing. Photo:

The United States should look more generously at Latin America and South America, Brazil Finance Minister Fernando Haddad said on Monday, arguing that the world's largest economy has "much to gain" from greater industrial development across the continent.

Tariffs aren’t the only battleground to keep an eye on in the trade war between the US and China. Access to Wall Street could be used as a lever in the negotiations, leaving almost 300 Chinese companies listed in the US at risk of being removed from American stock exchanges.