China has long tapped Latin America to supply oil, iron ore, soybeans and other commodities, all drivers of growth for many Latin American countries. But also a source of frustration for those that hope to grow their economies and exports with more than mining and farm goods.
China’s leader, Xi Jinping, is trying to show that he is listening. He told a gathering of Latin American leaders and officials in Beijing on Tuesday that he wanted to expand cooperation in “emerging areas,” including clean energy, telecommunications and artificial intelligence.
Speaking a day after China and the United States announced a provisional reduction of punitive tariffs against each other, Mr. Xi did not mention President Trump by name in his remarks to representatives from the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States. But Mr. Xi said China was their most reliable partner in a turbulent world, a theme that he also deployed in a recent visit to Southeast Asian countries and other diplomatic meetings.
“China will increase its imports of high-quality products from Latin American and Caribbean countries and encourage its enterprises to expand investment in that region,” Mr. Xi told the audience, which included President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil and Gabriel Boric, the president of Chile. Faced with “a surging tide of unilateralism and protectionism,“ China stood ready to help, Mr. Xi said.
Other leaders also made indirect references to the tariffs threats and other pressure from the Trump administration. “We are here to reaffirm that multilateralism and dialogue, not unilateral impositions, are the way to address the challenges facing humanity,” Mr. Boric told the meeting.
Mr. Xi did not give much detail in his lofty speech, which — in a sign of his interest in China’s heritage — also proposed “collaborative studies” of ancient civilizations in China and Latin America.
But on Monday in Beijing, Mr. Lula claimed some success in attracting Chinese investors to Brazil. Chinese companies announced plans to invest about $4.7 billion there in projects including expanded automotive manufacturing and renewable energy like wind and solar power, according to Mr. Lula’s office. He also highlighted a proposed Brazil-China partnership to launch low-orbit satellites so Brazilians in remote areas can connect to the internet. The proposal would be a potential rival to Elon Musk’s Starlink in these areas. Huawei, a Chinese telecom giant, is already a big presence in Brazil.
Chinese officials have been “a bit taken aback by how assertive the Trump administration has been in Latin America,” said Ryan Berg, the director of the Americas Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. The U.S. secretary of state, Marco Rubio, has visited at least eight Latin American and Caribbean countries since taking office, and has said the region will be a priority for him, including countering Chinese influence there.
Mr. Trump has accused China of controlling the Panama Canal. Under pressure, a Hong Kong company sold off its two port facilities on the canal, drawing criticism from Beijing. Mr. Xi did not mention the controversy — except, it seemed, in an oblique reference.
China supports Latin American and Caribbean countries in “defending their sovereignty and independence and in opposing external interference,” Mr. Xi said. “In the 1960s, mass rallies took place across China to support the Panamanian people in reclaiming sovereignty over the Panama Canal.”
Ana Ionova in Rio de Janeiro and Sabrina Duque in Taipei contributed reporting.
Chris Buckley, the chief China correspondent for The Times, reports on China and Taiwan from Taipei, focused on politics, social change and security and military issues.
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