US focus on war in Ukraine opens space for Chinese influence in Latin America – News

The China Became a key trading partner of Latin America With large investments in various economic sectors in recent years, it is contributing to increase its influence in the region.

The Asian nation is increasingly looking to the outside world and competing with other major powers in many fields. In addition, the first 5G network of sophisticated social networks and smartphones, the fifth generation high-speed mobile Internet and its technology companies operating in many countries show itself around the world. .

Historically closely related to politics United StatesLatin American countries are now increasing their relations with the Chinese government, while the White House is focusing on Russia and Ukraine, facing war tensions and on issues related to NATO (Organization of the North Atlantic Treaty) towards Europe. .

Alana Camosa, a professor of international relations at UFRJ (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro), believes that Latin America is the site of controversy between China and the United States.

“Since the George W. Bush administration (2001-2008), US foreign policy has returned to the Middle East, creating a political vacuum in Latin America and accelerating China’s uprising in the region. US focus on Latin Americans has returned since the Obama administration (2009-2017),” says Alana.

Ricardo Leães, professor of international relations at ESPM, adds: “The United States looks back at us only when they realize that Latin America is in danger of losing influence. It happened with the Iraq war in the 2000s, and now it’s happening again.

Summit of the United States

The US summit in Los Angeles last week was a sign that relations between the United States and many countries on the continent no longer exist.

President Joe Biden has decided not to invite representatives from Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua to the summit, much to the displeasure of other invited leaders.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lபpez Obrador has announced he will not attend the summit because he does not agree with the White House’s position. For the same reason, Bolivia and Honduras also announced that they would boycott the event.

In a speech, Argentine President Alberto Fernandez said that hosting the event would not allow participants to be excluded, and called on the Belgian Prime Minister Biden’s administration to be “unforgivable”.

“Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua see China as an important political partner and have historical differences with the United States, which contributes to the advancement of Chinese influence,” explains Professor Alana.

For the expert, the United States seeks to strengthen ties with Latin America through meetings between international summits and leaders. Washington needs to focus more on Colombia and Brazil due to this year’s presidential elections, which could affect business and political alliances between governments.

Business relationships

Data from the Ministry of Economy shows that China surpassed the United States in export and import values ​​in the first months of 2022 and compared to the same period in 2021. US market in May.

Exports from Brazil to China, Hong Kong and Macau totaled $ 8.53 billion in May. Imports reached $ 4.67 billion. During the January-May period of this year, sales increased by 1.4% to $ 38.13 billion compared to the same period last year, while imports increased by 29.8% to a total of $ 23.62 billion.

On the other hand, Brazil’s exports to the United States totaled $ 3.09 billion and imports $ 4.88 billion in May. From January to May this year, exports to the United States reached $ 13.60 billion and imports totaled $ 20.67 billion, compared to the same period in 2021.

The largest economy in the world

A Bloomberg estimate released in February of this year indicates that China is poised to become the world’s largest economy, surpassing the United States in about a decade, but the outcome is not guaranteed.

“Despite China becoming the world’s largest economy, the United States still has some of the most important jurisdictions in terms of influence, in terms of political perspective.
And culture, in addition to military power, is a far cry from the Chinese, “Camoça points out.

According to Leães, “The influence of one country over another is not limited to trade issues. Although China is expanding economically, there is still the challenge of expanding this influence in other important areas so that a country can truly assert itself as a major power.