Why China’s Latin America ties aren’t immune to Trump’s influence

Juan Fernando Herrera Ramos is a Honduras-born journalist based in Taiwan covering Asia–Latin America relations, geopolitics, and Supply-chain issues.For over two decades, China’s rise in Latin America has been viewed as one of the most significant geopolitical developments in the Western Hemisphere. Through trade, investment, infrastructure projects and diplomatic engagement, Beijing built a presence that would have been difficult to imagine at the beginning of the century.The strategy appeared highly successful. Beijing became a leading trading partner for much of the region, financed major projects, expanded its diplomatic footprint and persuaded several countries to sever relations with Taiwan. To many observers, economic influence appeared to be translating into political influence.Yet recent regional developments raise an uncomfortable question for Beijing: can economic power alone generate durable political influence?