China’s bond with Latin America and the Caribbean deepening

President Xi Jinping's most ambitious dream is to lead the world in everything. For this, China is straining really hard the world over and has also reached out to Latin America and the Caribbean.

One of the most ambitious dreams of China's all-powerful President Xi Jinping has been to lead the world in 'everything from science and technology, to modern weaponry and military might, to providing a model of economic development and governance for other countries to follow'. Will China accomplish this dream?

Observers say China is straining really hard in this direction the world over. It has reached out also to Latin America and the Caribbean. China's trade with Latin America reached USD 450 billion last year. The World Economic Forum has estimated that trade with the region will exceed USD 700 billion by 2035. Over 21 out of the 33 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean today are in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), launched by China in 2013, aimed at building an economic and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe, Africa and beyond.

China has a joint action plan to promote economic cooperation with Latin America and the Caribbean in the fields of agriculture, food, science, technology, industry, infrastructure, aviation, energy and tourism. Between 2022 and 2024, China envisages providing states in the region with 5,000 government scholarships and 3,000 training places in education and research in the Chinese homeland. This cooperation extends to space as well as nuclear energy and technology. The plan also aims to strengthen cooperation in 5G telecommunications equipment and artificial intelligence.

China has Confucius Institutes around the world. They are tools of Chinese influence. The Chinese Communist Party's United Front Work Department oversees them. China is for the opening of more Confucius Institutes and classrooms in universities and schools in Latin America. Countries in Latin America and the Caribbean currently have about 43 Confucius Institutes.

Significantly, the Chinese action plan is also about building networks of sister cities and sister provinces between Latin American/Caribbean countries and China. China pursues sister-city relationships under an organization, called the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries.

The growing impact of Chinese influence on the politics and governance in the region is worth noticing today. Latin America has of late witnessed a rise in the elections of leftist governments. Brazil today has a socialist leader. In December, Nicaragua broke off its relations with Taiwan, a self-governing nation that China considers its renegade province.

(Jagdish N. Singh is a senior journalist based in New Delhi. He is also Senior Distinguished Fellow at the Gatestone Institute, New York)

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