China in Latin America: September 2024

Chinese migration: Thousands of Chinese immigrants are moving to Mexico, according to AP. In 2023, the Mexican government issued 5,070 temporary resident visas, twice as many as the previous year.

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Beijing increases trade: Paraguayan Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez Lezcano said Mercosur, the South American trading bloc, would be willing to negotiate a free trade agreement with China if it resolved the trade deficit between the country and the bloc. Peruvian President Dina Boluarte condemned the presence of Chinese vessels engaged in illegal fishing in Peruvian waters. In September, the Peruvian government’s anti-dumping measures took effect against imports of Chinese taffeta – a type of fabric – and polyester. Meanwhile, in Chile, the Anti-Distortization Commission concluded that China was not introducing Chinese steel into the Chilean market and that the Chilean government should withdraw tariffs on Chinese steel imports.

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The government of Honduras has reached an agreement with its Chinese counterparts to export fresh melons from Honduras to China. Ecuador’s Minister of Agriculture, Danilo Palacios, also announced that the South American country will soon begin exporting dairy products to China, and that China’s Vice Minister of Customs will visit Ecuador at the end of September.

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On September 19, Republican Senator Marco Rubio proposed a measure to prevent Chinese manufacturers from avoiding tariffs by locating factories in other countries, such as Mexico.

New investments: The decision of a Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer to build a car factory in Mexico in time for the November US elections. In Bolivia, a state-owned lithium production company announced that it is on a shortlist of four companies to move on to the next stage of its bid to build several lithium extraction plants in Bolivia. In Venezuela, a national assembly with China. While few details of the deal have been published, it is likely to focus specifically on Venezuela’s special economic zones and additional protection for Chinese investments in the country.

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On September 8, Honduras was included on the list of main travel destinations for Chinese tourists. From September 12 to 14, China hosted the fourth ministerial conference of the China-Caribbean Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum in Qionghai, Hainan Province. During the conference, Guyana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Hugh Todd on Trade Facilitation and Green Development met with China’s Vice Minister of Trade and International Trade Representative Wang Shouwen.

The South China Morning Post reported that the Brazilian government has formed an inter-ministerial working group to assess Brazil’s accession to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), with the understanding that Brazil will formally join the BRI in November, when Xi visits the South American country. Brazil is also analyzing the potential impact of BRI membership on U.S.-Brazilian relations, especially if former President Donald Trump wins in November. Finally, Boston University’s Center for Global Development Policy has published a new working paper examining the determinants of Chinese development financing in Latin America from 2008 to 2019.

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The South China Morning Mail reported that the Brazilian government must evaluate Brazil’s entry into the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), assuming that Brazil formally joins the BRI in November, when Xi visits the South American country. Brazil is also analyzing the potential impact of BRI membership on U.S.-Brazilian relations, especially if former President Donald Trump wins in November. Finally, Boston University’s Center for Global Development Policy examines the determinants of Chinese development financing in Latin America in 2008–2019.

Deeper security integration: Chinese soldiers took part in Brazil’s annual Operation Formosa military exercises during the week of September 10, in which US soldiers also participated. On September 9, Nicaragua’s police chief Francisco Díaz met with China’s Minister of Public Security Wan Xiaohong regarding public security issues. The two sides signed an agreement under which China pledged to provide Nicaraguan police with technical assistance in the fight against terrorism, drug trafficking and cybercrime.

Beijing’s diplomacy: At the UN General Assembly (UNGA), Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced that Brazil and China have proposed a six-point plan to start a peace dialogue between Russia and Ukraine. Also during the UN General Assembly, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met his counterpart in Panama, Javier Martínez-Acha, where the Chinese foreign minister was in charge of relations between the two countries. Earlier this month, the first China-Latin America-Caribbean roundtable on human rights was held in Rio de Janeiro.

In Nicaragua, the Nicaraguan autocratic government established a new Confucius Institute at the National Autonomous University of Managua. The event was chaired by Rosario Murillo, vice president of Nicaragua and Ortega’s wife, and Laureano Ortega Murillo, Ortega’s son.