American protectionist economic policy and reduced Chinese imports in the United States has led to the phenomenon of “nearshoring.” Mexico has benefitted from this, having received higher foreign direct investment, particularly from China.

Brazil’s president indicates that economic recovery in Latin America is likely to be driven by China. Existing connections are deep and will be resilient against political or international interference. Renewed South-South cooperation is one hopeful outcome.

China has gifted security technology to a number of foreign nations, stretching from Ecuador in South America to Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia. Whether such technologies are part of China’s BRI efforts to construct ‘a community of common destiny’ or are backed by some other ulterior motive is unclear.

Latin America has been a primary recipient of Chinese foreign direct investment for years, but recent developments in the global political environment have caused notable shifts to occur in what and how much China is giving to the region.

Whether China can create an alternative model for economic engagement in Latin America will largely depend on how well it reads history and avoids the worst pitfalls of its predecessors.

The United States on Thursday threatened to pull out of the annual meeting of the Inter-American Development Bank in China next week if Beijing refuses to allow a representative of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido to attend.

China’s flexibility and observance of mutually beneficial policies has enabled it to gain a significant foothold in South America, particularly in Brazil and Venezuela.

Though China forged a new economic relationship with Venezuela under Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro, the PRC’s continued presence is almost guaranteed through the need for Venezuelan oil.

President Xi Jinping’s presence at the recent G-20 Summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina reaffirmed that China is leading the way in nurturing bilateral trade and investment deals in Latin America.

The US should stop worrying about China’s intentions in Latin America.